Wen Fan

Wen Fan is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of Graduate Admissions at Boston College. She is affiliated with the Sloan Research Network on Aging & Work and the Work Time Reduction Research Network (WTR-RN). Her primary appointment is within the Department of Sociology at the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Sociology (2015), University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
• M.S. in Statistics (2014), University of Minnesota

Research Interests: Dr. Fan focuses on the interplay between work environments, family dynamics, and health outcomes across different social contexts. Her research explores:

• Future of work (remote/hybrid work, four-day workweek)
• Sociology of health and medical systems
• Life course transitions and aging
• Work-family conflict and gender disparities
• Social demography and stratification
• Quantitative methodological innovations

Research Trends in Articles: Her recent work emphasizes pandemic-driven societal changes, remote/hybrid work adaptations, cross-national family dynamics in parenting, and gendered outcomes of workplace flexibility. She consistently integrates longitudinal and mixed-method approaches into her studies on health inequalities and social policy.

Grants & Collaborations:

• NSF-funded project on remote/hybrid work disparities (with Phyllis Moen)
• International study on four-day workweek impacts (with Juliet Schor and Orla Kelly)
• CIHR-funded China pandemic mental health study (co-I)
• Schiller Institute grant for work time reduction research (2024)
• BC Research Incentive Grant (2024)

Labs & Networks: Active member of the Sloan Research Network on Aging & Work and co-organizer of the 2024 Work, Family, and Health Research Network (WFRN) conference pre-conference workshop. Engages with policy communities through testimony and media interviews (e.g., Massachusetts Joint Committee on Labor, CBC, NPR).