Barbara Risman

Professor Emeritus of Sociology

Biography

Barbara Risman headshots in the UIC Daley Library.

Barbara Risman, professor emeritus of sociology.  Photo: Jenny Fontaine/UIC

Changes in society have erased boundaries and standard definitions of gender, marriage and family.

Sociologist Barbara Risman explores the contemporary meanings of each through her research on gender politics in families, teen sexuality and gender relations, and feminist activism.

Using her theory of gender as a social structure, her book, “Where the Millennials Will Take Us: A New Generation Wrestles with the Gender Structure,” provides insight into the minds of today’s young adults to uncover the strategies they use to negotiate the unsettled gender norms and expectations facing their generation.

Media Mentions

The Mental Load is Holding Women Back. Here’s Why it Matters for the Economy.
WABE-FM (NPR)

What Parents of Boys Should Know
The Atlantic

Anti-trans measures don’t just target transgender men and women – a sociologist explains how ‘male’ or ‘female’ categories miss the mark for nonbinary Americans
The Conversation

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