Karyn Loscocco

Karyn Loscocco is a Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University at Albany, State University of New York, within the College of Arts and Sciences. Her research examines systemic inequalities through intersectional frameworks, with contact via kloscocco@albany.edu.

Her educational background includes:

• PhD from Indiana University
• MA from Indiana University
• BA from Bowdoin College

Professor Loscocco specializes in cultural constructions of gender, race, and sexuality, analyzing how societal norms perpetuate inequalities in marriage, work-family systems, and incarceration re-entry. Her work critically interrogates white attitudes toward racism and LGBTQ+ inequities in Italy, emphasizing structural barriers faced by women of color. Current projects investigate cultural messaging in heterosexual marriage norms, racial disparities in labor markets, and the triple jeopardy of poverty, gender, and race in criminal justice re-entry.

She actively collaborates with community organizations and involves graduate/undergraduate students in fieldwork, particularly in Capital District re-entry initiatives targeting low-income women of color. Her book Race and Work: Persistent Inequality (Polity Press) provides foundational analysis of racial-ethnic workplace disparities.