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Pamela J. Smock

Professor, Sociology, College of Literature, Science, & the Arts; Research Professor, Population Studies Center, Institute for Social Research

Pamela Smock is a professor of sociology and research professor at the Population Studies Center at U-M. Her research interests lie at the intersection of demography and social stratification. Her research has examined changing family patterns in the U.S., the economic consequences of divorce and marriage for women and men, cohabitation, nonresident fatherhood, single-mother families, the motherhood wage penalty, and social class and racial-ethnic variation in family patterns. Currently, she is examining late-life economic disparities and the role of the structure of Social Security benefits in maintaining them.

Her work has appeared in leading journals including American Sociological ReviewAnnual Review of Sociology, DemographyJournal of Marriage and Family, and Social Forces. Smock has served as editor-in-chief of Demography, the flagship journal of the Population Association of America, and deputy editor of Journal of Marriage and Family. She served as president of the Association of Population Centers and in other elected positions for the Population Association of America and the American Sociological Association.

PhD, University of Wisconsin; MA and BA, University of Chicago.