Visiting Professor: Jerry A. Jacobs

In the “INVEST visitors” series, we present visiting professors and fellows who have arrived at the flagship INVEST. This time we are introducing Jerry A. Jacobs.

Jerry A. Jacobs is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses on work, careers, gender inequality and work–family dynamics.

Jacobs received his PhD in Sociology from Harvard University in 1983 and has since made significant contributions to research on women’s employment, including gender differences in authority and earnings, working conditions, part-time work, work–family conflict and entry into male-dominated occupations.

He is the author of five books, including Revolving Doors: Sex Segregation and Women’s Careers, The Time Divide with Kathleen Gerson, The Changing Face of Medicine with Ann Boulis, and In Defense of Disciplines. He has also published nearly 100 research articles and has served as Editor of the American Sociological Review and as founding President of the Work and Families Researchers Network.

Jacobs has received several academic honours, including three career achievement awards, and has been a visiting scholar at the Center for Advanced Study at Stanford University and the Russell Sage Foundation in New York.

His current research examines the future of work, the career plans of secondary school students in an international comparative project, and publication patterns in sociology.