Kathleen Gerson

Kathleen Gerson (born August 6, 1947) is an American sociologist and Collegiate Professor of Arts and Science at New York University. She specializes in qualitative interview-based research on the intersections of gender, work, and family in contemporary economies, examining how individuals navigate shifting gender dynamics, work-family conflict, and evolving employment and caregiving institutions.

Her major books include Hard Choices (1985), No Man's Land (1993), The Time Divide (2004, co-authored with Jerry A. Jacobs), The Unfinished Revolution (2010), and The Science and Art of Interviewing (2020, co-authored with Sarah Damaske). She has received numerous honors, including the Guggenheim Fellowship (2017), the Jessie Bernard Award (2013), and the William J. Goode Distinguished Book Award (2012). Gerson is widely cited for her analyses of how institutional barriers shape personal strategies amid broader social and economic change.

As of 2026, she is working on a book examining workers’ and parents’ responses to the intensifying collisions between earning and caregiving in the new economy.

She joined New York University's Department of Sociology as an assistant professor in 1980, rising to associate professor in 1988, full professor in 1995, and Collegiate Professor of Arts and Science in 2010. She served as director of undergraduate studies (1990–1996) and department chair (2000–2003).

The Unfinished Revolution (2010) revealed a gap between young adults' egalitarian ideals and "fallback" strategies created by institutional barriers-women turning toward self-reliance and men toward neo-traditional roles. It has been described in scholarly reviews as a landmark study of generational change. The book received the ASA Family Section's William J. Goode Distinguished Book Award.

The Science and Art of Interviewing (2020, with Sarah Damaske) offers a methodological guide to in-depth interviewing.

Recent projects include national studies (with Jennifer Glass, Jerry A. Jacobs, and Barbara Risman) on caregiving during the COVID-19 pandemic and related publications on gender, parenting, and remote work. Rosabeth Moss Kanter Award for Excellence in Work-Family Research (with Jerry A. Jacobs), 2002

Selected publications Books Gerson, Kathleen; Damaske, Sarah A. (2020). The Science and Art of Interviewing. Oxford University Press. . . Gerson, Kathleen (2010). The Unfinished Revolution: Coming of Age in a New Era of Gender, Work, and Family. Oxford University Press. . . Jacobs, Jerry A.; Gerson, Kathleen (2004). The Time Divide: Work, Family, and Gender Inequality. Harvard University Press. . Gerson, Kathleen (1993). No Man's Land: Men's Changing Commitments to Family and Work. Basic Books. . Gerson, Kathleen (1985). Hard Choices: How Women Decide About Work, Career, and Motherhood. University of California Press. . .

Selected journal articles Jacobs, Jerry A.; Gerson, Kathleen (2001). "Overworked Individuals or Overworked Families? Explaining Trends in Work, Leisure, and Family Time". Work and Occupations. 28 (1): 40-63. . Gerson, Kathleen (2002). "Moral Dilemmas, Moral Strategies, and the Transformation of Gender: Lessons from Two Generations of Work and Family Change". Gender & Society. 16 (1): 8-28. . Dunatchik, Allison; Gerson, Kathleen; Glass, Jennifer; Jacobs, Jerry A. (2022). "Gender, Parenting, and The Rise of Remote Work During the Pandemic: Implications for Domestic Inequality in the United States". Gender & Society. 36 (1): 71-101. . Gerson, Kathleen (2023). "Why No One Can 'Have It All' and Why That Matters to Everyone". Sociological Forum. 38 (1): 1-22. .