Barbara Risman

Barbara Risman is a Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), part of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Previously, she spent two decades at North Carolina State University as an Alumni Distinguished Research Professor and Founding Director of the Gender and Women's Studies Program. She holds a PhD from the University of Washington (1983).

Research Interests: Gender inequality, families, feminist activism, and public sociology. Current projects include studying gender and sexual identities among middle-school children and developing gender structure theory.

Awards:

• Award for the Public Understanding of Sociology (2011)
• Katherine Jocher Belle Boone Award (2005)
• 2003 Feminist Lecturer Award

Teaching: Courses include Qualitative Data Collection, Contemporary Sociological Theory, and Feminist Theory. She emphasizes bridging academic research with public engagement through her role as President of the Council on Contemporary Families.

Professional Roles: Editor of Contemporary Sociology, co-editor of the Gender Lens book series, and active in sociological public advocacy.