One strand of my research examines the economic consequences of family transitions, particularly divorce and separation. This work investigates how changes in family structure reshape parents’ employment, income, debt, and financial well-being, with particular attention to gender and post-separation arrangements for caring for children. My current research extends this agenda by studying how debt and credit interact with public policy and the social safety net, including family benefits, child support, and the criminal legal system. A related strand of my research focuses on gender and inequality within households, including how families allocate and manage both financial resources and time and how these processes contribute to gendered differences in economic well-being. Across these projects, I am interested in how institutions can either buffer economic insecurity or redistribute financial obligations within and across families.

Methodologically, I use large-scale administrative, survey, and credit bureau data to study families , drawing on methods from economics, demography, and sociology. My broader goal is to understand how family processes, inequalities within households, and social policies jointly produce – and potentially mitigate – economic inequality.