I am an Associate Professor of Sociology. I received my Ph.D. In Sociology from State University of New York in Stony Brook in 2005. During my time at Stony Brook, i worked as the Managing Editor of Men and Masculinities( editor: Michael Kimmel) published by Sage. My doctoral dissertation focused on why so many teenagers work in the Unites States through both advanced statistical methods and in- depth, ethnographic interviews. My work has appeared in many sociology journals such as Contexts, Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, Theory& Society, NWSAJ and Education& Society.
I just finished a research project funded by the AAUW(American Association of University Women) on the gender wage gap in New Jersey, which resulted in a research monograph( with Dr. Mary Gatta) published by the AAUW.
Currently, I am working on two projects. First, I am writing a book on teenage labor in America and other industrialized countries. In this research, supported by the W.E. Upjohn Foundation, I explore the inequalities in the youth labor force. I focus particularly on gender differences in earnings among young workers. This book is currently under contract at Temple University Press.
Secondly, I am writing a textbook on research methods, including both qualitative and quantitative methods in social sciences for Pearson.
In addition to research, I truly enjoy teaching. I am the winner of the Dean's Award in Teaching at MSU in 2008 and the Dean's Award in Teaching at SUNY Stony Brook in 2004 .
Courses Offered:
SOCI 204 Sociology of the Family
SOCI 240 Statistics for Social Sciences
SOCI 301 Research Methods
SOCI 304 Work and Professions
SOCI 400 Senior Research Project
SOCI 411 Selected Topics: Sociology of Youth
SOCI 208/ WMGS 208 Men & Masculinities
WMGS 102 Intro to Women and Gender Studies

economic sociology, work and labor, youth, gender, inequality, quantitative methods, political sociology

Gendered Responses to the Economic Recession

The recent recession has been portrayed as one that has harmed men and benefited women. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics(2009), men have experienced a rapid increase in unemployment rates while women remained firmly in the workforce. While the recession itself has not harmed women, the austerity measures that followed hurt women. For this project, I explore the effects of the governmental responses and their gendered effects. In particular, I explore the effects of the recession and the austerity measures on the gender wage gap and division of chores.