Megan Sweeney

Megan Sweeney is a Professor of Sociology and Associate Director of the California Center for Population Research at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a minor in Economics, an M.S. in Sociology from the same university, and a B.A. in Sociology/Anthropology from Carleton College.

Her research focuses on the intersection of economic factors and family dynamics, including marriage timing, stepfamily dynamics, contraceptive use, and racial/ethnic disparities in family formation. Key themes include how economic conditions shape family structures and how family instability impacts adolescent outcomes. She has also pioneered studies on sterilization regret, long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs), and the evolving role of stepfamilies in contemporary society.

Dr. Sweeney has been recognized with prestigious awards such as the UCLA Academic Senate Distinguished Teaching Award (2013) and election to the Sociological Research Association (2014). She has held visiting fellowships at Oxford University and Utrecht University, and led major grants from the National Science Foundation and William T. Grant Foundation.

Her advising and grants encompass interdisciplinary approaches to family scholarship, including collaborations on reproductive health policy and global demographic trends. She currently leads research teams at UCLA’s California Center for Population Research, focusing on comparative analyses of family structures across socioeconomic and cultural contexts.