New York University

New York University

The Office of Public Affairs

Thursday, Sep 03, 2009

N-6, 2009-10

Economic uncertainty has given Labor Day 2009 a significance not felt in recent years. But underlying these circumstances are social and cultural, as well as economic, shifts that have been occurring for decades. New York University sociologist Kathleen Gerson is available for comment on how these forces have affected the way new generations grow into adulthood as both parents and workers.

Gerson is the author of the forthcoming The Unfinished Revolution: How a New Generation is Reshaping Family, Work, and Gender in America (Oxford University Press, December), which explores how the changes of the last several decades require us to think in new ways about families, work, and gender. She finds that young American women and men want—and need—more flexible and egalitarian forms of working and caretaking if they are to successfully blend love and work in the 21st century. Her previous works include: The Time Divide: Work, Family, and Gender Inequality, a co-authored volume; No Man’s Land: Men’s Changing Commitments to Family and Work; and Hard Choices: How Women Decide About Work, Career, and Motherhood.

Reporters interested in speaking with Gerson should contact James Devitt, NYU’s Office of Public Affairs, at 212.998.6808 or james.devitt@nyu.edu.