Dr. Becky Pettit

Biography

Becky M. Pettit is a Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Texas at Austin. She specializes in social inequality, drawing on demographic methods to explore issues related to race, class, and gender. Pettit is the author of several influential books and numerous articles published in distinguished peer-reviewed journals such as the American Sociological Review, Demography, and Social Problems. Her most recent book, "Invisible Men: Mass Incarceration and the Myth of Black Progress," examines the growth of America's prison system and its implications for racial inequality. Additionally, she co-authored the notable work, "Gendered Tradeoffs: Family, Social Policy, and Economic Inequality in Twenty-One Countries," which received recognition as a Noteworthy Book in Industrial Relations and Labor Economics. Among her accolades, Pettit has been awarded the James Short Paper Award from the American Sociological Association for her research on black-white wage inequality and has served on the editorial board of Social Problems. She has held leadership positions, including co-director of the Scholars Strategy Network - Northwest and founding member of its executive board.

Research Interests