Jan Macvarish

Dr Jan Macvarish is a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Kent's Centre for Parenting Culture Studies, collaborating with Dr Ellie Lee. She holds a concurrent research role at Birkbeck College, University of London, focusing on the Nuffield Foundation-funded project exploring sibling relationships in public care proceedings. Her work bridges sociology, policy analysis, and neuroscience to examine parenting culture, family dynamics, and health policy.

Research Interests:

• Parenting culture and societal expectations
• Neuroscience's influence on family policy
• Reproductive rights and legal frameworks
• Gender studies and sexual health
• Risk discourse in family life

Publications highlight critical analyses of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), abortion law, and the medicalization of child welfare. She co-authored Parenting Culture Studies and authored Neuroparenting: The Expert Invasion of Family Life, critiquing the overreach of neuroscience in parenting norms.

Professional Contributions:

• Principal investigator on Nuffield-funded sibling-relationship project
• Lead researcher on studies of teenage motherhood, fertility treatment regulation, and public health policy
• Consultant on sexual health and family support services in Kent

Her blogs No Such Thing as a Parenting Expert and Eyes Wide Open challenge contemporary discourses on free speech, gender politics, and family life.