I am interested in researching the extent to which infants, parents and families of high-risk pregnancies are enabled to thrive as well as which societal factors perpetuate inequities and unfavorable outcomes for specific groups of people. I am particularly interested in the individual, familial and economic viability of prenatal leave for parents.
I am curious what factors contribute to parents’ decisions or abilities to take leave, including: occupational security, health, and stress; governmental policies for or against leave; perceived role within the home or community. These factors have been shown to be gendered, racial and geographic. I hope to specifically hone in on racial disparities within these sets of considerations, as the difference in rates of paid and unpaid parental leave vary greatly across race.
I will rely on an applied ethnographic method to investigate this topic during my time as an MPhil student in Health, Medicine and Society.
