Department of Sociology | University of Maryland

Coordinator: Harriet Presser | (301) 405-6422 | presser@socy.umd.edu

Demography, or the study of population, has been an area of graduate study within the University of Maryland’s Department of Sociology for many years. The focus has been on social demography, that is, the study of social factors that affect population dynamics-though also with a grounding in the traditional components of demography: fertility, migration and mortality. We study why people have the number of children they have, migrate when they do, and die when they do-and the consequences of such behaviors. We also study how these demographic processes relate to family dynamics (marital formation and dissolution) and labor force activity. Group differences in population outcomes-for example, differences by gender, ethnicity, and race-are important considerations in this field of study. Our perspective is both national (United States) and inter national, including developing countries.

Faculty Interests

Sociology faculty active in the demography program include Suzanne Bianchi, Sonalde Desai, John Iceland, Joan Kahn, Ulla Larsen, Steve Martin, Harriet Presser, Reeve Vanneman and Rebeca Wong.

Recent and ongoing faculty research projects that focus on the United States include such topics as the relationship between women’s employment and fertility; non-standard work schedules and the care of children; birth timing, marital timing, and education-family interrelationships; health disparities over the life course; the changing economic roles of men and women, time-use, the causes of child poverty, and the relationship between household structure and labor supply; poverty and inequality, and racial and ethnic residential segregation. Research on developing countries includes such topics as intra-household resource allocation, economic development and gender differences in literacy in India, the determinants of maternal and child health in India, education, infertility in Tanzania, and health and aging in Mexico. European research includes a comparative analysis of nonstandard work schedule in 12 countries and the consequences of low fertility in Hungary. Policy issues relating to population change and work and family dynamics are also studied, covering the U.S., Europe, and developing countries.

Academic Program

The Sociology Department offers a variety of graduate courses in the area of demography.

SOCY 611 Demographic Techniques

SOCY 626 Demography of Aging

SOCY 627 Migration

SOCY 630 Population and Society

SOCY 635 Social Aspects of Fertility

SOCY 636 Population and Development

SOCY 637 Demography of the Labor Force

SOCY 640 Population Policy in Social Context

SOCY 641 Work and Family Policy

SOCY 644 Gender, Work, and Family

SOCY 653 Family Demography

SOCY 666 Poverty and Social Welfare

SOCY 749 Advanced Research Topics in Demography

Students interested in demography are encouraged to take SOCY 611 and 630, along with at least two additional demography courses from the list elected by the student. (SOCY 611 counts as a methods requirement for the Ph.D. degree.) Graduate courses in other departments such as economics, public policy, or history may be substituted as an elective demography course with the approval of the area coordinator and the Graduate Director.

Maryland Population Research Center

Many of the Department’s demography faculty are also affiliated with the Maryland Population Research Center. This multidisciplinary center draws affiliated faculty with interests in population issues from across the social sciences including Sandra Hofferth (Family Studies), Mark Duggan, Jonah Gelbach, Judith Hellerstein, Ginger Gin, Seth Sanders,(Economics), Laura Dugan, John Laub, and Gary LaFree (Criminology and Criminal Justice), Michael Paolisso (Anthropology) and Martha Geores (Geography). In addition to its regular speaker series, the Center also offers an interdisciplinary program as well as the new Certificate in Population Studies. Click here to visit the Center's website.

Graduate Student Research Opportunities and Employment

There is considerable collaboration of faculty with students on research papers, and students are encouraged to present papers at professional meetings and submit these papers for publication.

Demography students have many opportunities to obtain research training experience. Many demography faculty, both in Sociology as well as at the Maryland Population Research Center, have externally funded research projects which often support graduate student research assistants.

Students who choose demography as one of their areas of specialization have excellent career opportunities in research, administration, and/or teaching because of their special skills and the concentration of research organizations in the Washington DC area. These opportunities include possible positions at international agencies, private foundations, think tanks and the federal government, as well as academic posts.