Karin A. Martin is a Professor and Chair of Sociology at the University of Michigan. She received her Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley. She has published extensively on gender, sexuality, and childhood in everyday life. Her research has appeared in many outlets including American Sociological Review, Gender & Society, Child Abuse & Neglect, and Journal of Family Issues. She is author of Puberty, Sexuality, and the Self: Girls and Boys at Adolescence (Routledge, 1996).

Since the feminist movements of the 1970s, has childhood become more gender equal? We have seen enormous social changes with respect to gender in educational attainment, in the work- place, in politics, and in some aspects of marriage over the last 50 years. But what about early childhood? Do boys and girls have the same experiences and opportunities in childhood? Research suggests somewhat of a mixed picture, with some changes, some stalls, and some regression.

This is the second in a six-lecture series. The subject is Changing Gender Roles. The next lecture will be April 18, 2019. The title is: Changing Gender Economic Roles.