Jessica Houston Su, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Sociology
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
I use a sociological lens and quantitative analytic techniques to investigate social inequality in American family life, with a particular focus on the transition to parenthood. My work examines how social factors shape when and whether people become parents. In turn, I examine how patterns of family formation and parenting create and exacerbate social inequality. Threads that unite my research agenda include unintended fertility, family change, parenting, family resources, and child well-being. My research is cross-disciplinary, and includes collaborations with experts in public policy and child development.
Below I have linked some representative articles grouped by theme to illustrate the broad questions in my research agenda. Please check out my CV for links to all of my articles, and feel free to contact me if you would like access to any of them.
Do social and economic factors influence when and whether people become parents?
Su, Jessica Houston and Fenaba Addo. 2023. Wealth and the Transition to Motherhood. Social Problems. https://doi.org/10.1093/socpro/spad037. [link]
Su, Jessica Houston. 2019. Local Employment Conditions and Unintended Pregnancy. Journal of Marriage and Family. 81 (2):380-96. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12546. [link]
Su, Jessica Houston, and Fenaba R. Addo. 2018. Born without a Silver Spoon: Race, Wealth, and Unintended Childbearing. Journal of Family and Economic Issues. 39 (4):600-15. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10834-018-9577-4. PMCID: PMC6301049. [link]
How do patterns of family formation shape parenting resources?
Su, Jessica Houston, and Allison Dwyer Emory. 2020. Repackaging Fatherhood: Father Engagement and Cooperative Coparenting in Mid-Pregnancy Marriages and Cohabitations. Journal of Marriage and Family. 82 (5):1625-36. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12698. [link]
Su, Jessica Houston, Rachel Dunifon, and Sharon Sassler. 2015. Better for Baby? The Retreat from Mid-Pregnancy Marriage and Implications for Parenting and Child Well-Being. Demography. 52 (4):1167-94. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13524-015-0410-5. [link]
How is social inequality in parenting investments related to child well-being?
Su, Jessica Houston, Kerri Raissian, and Jiyeon Kim*. 2024. Best For Whom? Heterogeneous Treatment Effects of Breastfeeding on Child Development. Social Forces. 102(3):978-1003. https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/soad075. [link]
Raissian, Kerri M., and Jessica Houston Su. 2018. The Best of Intentions: Prenatal Breastfeeding Intentions and Infant Health. SSM - Population Health. 5:86-100. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2018.05.002. PMCID: PMC6077263. [link]
How does undesired childbearing impact parents and children?
Su, Jessica Houston. 2017. Unintended Birth and Children's Long-Term Mental Health. Journal of Health and Social Behavior. 58 (3):357-70. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0022146517717037. [link]
Su, Jessica Houston. 2012. Pregnancy Intentions and Parents' Psychological Well-Being. Journal of Marriage and Family. 74 (5):1182-96. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2012.01006.x. [link]