Maria Charles

Maria Charles is a Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), where she has served as Department Chair (2008–2012) and Director of the Broom Demography Center (2016–2022). She holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from Stanford University (1990) and undergraduate degrees in Environmental Studies and Political Science from UCSB. Her research focuses on gender inequality across global contexts, emphasizing the interplay of cultural beliefs and structural forces in shaping disparities in families, education, and labor markets.

Key areas of interest include gender segregation in STEM fields, cross-national gender attitudes, and the persistence of gendered stereotypes in 'gender-progressive' societies. Notable projects explore gender beliefs in Muslim-majority regions, adolescents’ STEM aspirations in Israel, and global patterns of occupational segregation. Charles is affiliated with UCSB’s Feminist Studies Department and has held prior roles as Professor at UC San Diego and Postdoctoral Fellow at ETH Zurich.

Her work bridges macro-level structural analysis with micro-level cultural dynamics, challenging unidimensional views of gender equality. Awards include the 2011 ASA Sex and Gender Distinguished Article Award and the 2005 Max Weber Award. Charles has mentored numerous graduate students, many of whom co-author her influential studies on global gender trends and institutional barriers.

Charles’s research also addresses the 'egalitarian paradox,' where ostensibly progressive societies exhibit persistent gender gaps in STEM due to entrenched gender-essentialist beliefs. She advocates for multidimensional frameworks to address inequality, emphasizing policy reforms and cultural shifts to dismantle systemic biases. Her current roles include teaching advanced methodologies and advising on demographic and gender studies initiatives.