One line of my research examines how work intersects with family dynamics to shape gender inequality. Despite major gains in women’s education and employment, family roles remain deeply gendered and continue to impede women’s advancement. My scholarship seeks to illuminate pathways through which changes in the workplace can advance gender equality across both work and family domains. Below are some select projects and publications. For a full publication list, please visit my Google Scholar profile.

Dissertation Project: Power and Status in Public and Private Spheres: Gender, Workplace Authority, and Family Dynamics in China”

Workplace authority, the legitimate power to influence others, is a pivotal lever for transforming gender norms and family life. My dissertation is among the first to examine workplace authority at the work-family interface in a non-Western context. Using two large-scale Chinese surveys spanning over two decades, I examine gender inequality in authority and its consequences for domestic labour and well-being. Fixed-effects results show that overall, parenthood diminishes authority prospects for women but not men. Further, these patterns vary by employment sector. Mothers face greater disadvantages in the private sector, whereas a fatherhood premium emerges only in the state sector. Importantly, when women attain authority, housework division becomes more equal, and husbands with gender egalitarian beliefs report higher well-being. These findings highlight workplace authority as a central mechanism that extends beyond work into the family to reshape gender inequality. One article developed from this dissertation is forthcoming in Social Forces.

Changing Work arrangements and Their Implications

In addition to journal articles, I led a policy brief in partnership with the Vanier Institute of the Family on Canada’s care/work policies, which was also featured in the media by The Tyee.

The second line of my research investigates how racialized immigrants navigate economic and social integration through education, employment, and intimate relationships, with particular attention to the role of digital technology. Below are some select publications.