I am currently a PhD Student in the Department of Sociology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I also teach in the Women's and Gender Studies program and sit on the Student Editorial Board as the Chair for the Committee on Social Media for the journal Social Problems.
My research focuses on the areas of masculinities and sexuality within health and the body, work and occupations, and sociology of sport. For my dissertation, I use eye-tracking and qualitative methods to examine how constructions of masculinity and sexuality affect reactions to the "inverted male gaze" -- men gazing at or making eye contact with other men. Homophobia, violence, bullying, objectification, and body shaming are central to this phenomenon. I also continue to build upon my research examining female-dominated and feminized spaces to show how occupational segregation and institutional structures shape and are shaped by masculinity. By studying men in sports as well as men in the workplace, I contribute to a body of work that examines how men create, navigate, and maintain diverse masculinities that reinforce gender difference which in turn perpetuates inequality.
My research focuses on the areas of masculinities and sexuality within health and the body, work and occupations, and sociology of sport. For my dissertation, I use eye-tracking and qualitative methods to examine how constructions of masculinity and sexuality affect reactions to the "inverted male gaze" -- men gazing at or making eye contact with other men. Homophobia, violence, bullying, objectification, and body shaming are central to this phenomenon. I also continue to build upon my research examining female-dominated and feminized spaces to show how occupational segregation and institutional structures shape and are shaped by masculinity. By studying men in sports as well as men in the workplace, I contribute to a body of work that examines how men create, navigate, and maintain diverse masculinities that reinforce gender difference which in turn perpetuates inequality.