Demography, Family, & Life Course

Faculty in demography, family, and life course studies conduct research on topics such as integrating spatial analysis with classic and formal demographic theory, racial identity and measurement, and the impact of work and family roles across the life course on well-being and financial security. Associated faculty members receive National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation funding to develop, improve, and analyze data sets such as modern and historical census data across the US and the world. Faculty and graduate students in these areas are affiliated with the nationally renowned Minnesota Population Center and the Life Course Center, attracting graduate students and post-doctoral students from all over the world.

Faculty’s research interests include:

  • The relationship between migration, racial stratification, and inequality
  • Childhood socioeconomic inequalities and adult health
  • Intergenerational dynamics from adolescence through early adulthood
  • The translation of individual racial identities to race statistics
  • Effects of education, cognitive, and non-cognitive skills on mid-life health
  • International migration, stratification, and inequality
  • The work-family interface across the life course
  • Workplace sexual harassment, mental health, and career development
  • Incarceration and health
  • The impact of global economic and human rights policies on child well-being
  • Institutional change and social mobility in China

Interdisciplinary partners include:

Faculty members in these areas of specialization are also affiliated with the American Sociological Association, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and the Population Association of America.

Associated faculty: Cawo AbdiYanjie BianElizabeth BoyleMichael Esposito, Kathleen Hull, Claire Kamp DushCarolyn LieblerAnn MeierPhyllis MoenMichelle Phelps, Teresa Swartz, Christopher Uggen, Jane VanHeuvelenTom VanHuevelen, Rob Warren, Elizabeth Wrigley-Field

 

Our faculty share a commitment with the University of Minnesota to value a diversity of viewpoints and experiences and to strive to provide a productive work environment for all University scholars from varying racial, ethnic, religious, social class, sexual identity, and national backgrounds.