Hi! My name is Gayle. My pronouns are they/them. I am a sociologist who studies gender and family attitudes, marriage, fatherhood, work and family,  and LGBTQ+ families. I’m a professor of Sociology and Gender & Sexuality Studies at Davidson College. I am also Chair of the Sociology Department.

I teach courses on gender, family, sport, statistics and research methods. My classes challenge normative conceptions of gender and sexuality and examine the role of institutions in shaping these norms. I like to center students’ voices in the classroom and particularly enjoy engaging students in research projects.   

I am the author of two books – Fixing Parental Leave and Superdads: How Fathers Balance Work and Family in the 21st Century – as well as dozens of peer-reviewed journal articles. My work has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the American Sociological Association, the Russell Sage Foundation, the Fulbright Association, and the Economic and Social Research Council (UK). 

I have been a visiting fellow at University of Cambridge, University of Leicester, Umeå University, and University of York. I am President of the Southern Sociological Society, an Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Family Studies, and a co-editor of the International Review on Leave Policies and Related Research.