Kathryn Edin

Kathryn Edin is the William Church Osborn Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs at Princeton University, affiliated with the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. She serves as Director of the Bendheim-Thoman Center for Research on Child and Family Wellbeing. Her work focuses on poverty, welfare policy, and the lives of marginalized families, particularly single mothers. Edin holds a PhD from Northwestern University (1989) and has taught at prestigious institutions including Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and the University of Pennsylvania.

Her research employs mixed-method approaches to explore critical questions about urban poverty, welfare reform, and family dynamics. Notable works include $2 a Day (2015), which exposed extreme poverty in the U.S., and Promises I Can Keep (2005), examining low-income women’s prioritization of motherhood over marriage. She leads the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study and has contributed to policy initiatives through roles at the Russell Sage Foundation and MacArthur Foundation networks.

Edin’s honors include election to the National Academy of Sciences (2014), American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2019), and multiple fellowships recognizing her transformative scholarship. Her work bridges academia and public policy, influencing debates on social inequality and child welfare.