Author: aewatzka

Task Interdependence and the Gender Wage Gap: The Role of the Gender Composition of an Occupation

Journal of Organizational Behavior (2023) Authors: Jirs Meuris and Allison Elias Abstract: People increasingly need to collaborate with others in their workplace to perform their jobs. Studies have shown that task interdependence can have important consequences for teams and organizations, and emerging research suggests that it may be contributing to gender inequality. In this paper, we …

A Hidden Barrier to Diversification? Performance Recognition Penalties for Incumbent Workers in Male-Dominated Occupations

American Sociological Review  (2024) Authors: Jirs Meuris and Jennifer Merluzzi Abstract: Responding to persistent gender inequity, organizations have adopted diversity initiatives to promote women’s representation in traditionally male-dominated occupations. Although studies have identified challenges to these initiatives for women entering occupations, we uncover a performance recognition penalty for incumbent workers originating from the process of occupational …

Living in Ancestrally Diverse States of the United States is Associated with Greater Vagal Tone

Frontiers in Psychology (2023) Authors: Ethan G. Harrod, Ilan Shrira, Jared D. Martin, and Paula M. Niedenthal Abstract: Historically, exposure to dissimilar others (“strangers”) was a physiologically arousing event—resulting in avoidance, distrust, and even conflict. Despite this, contemporary migration patterns are increasing intergroup contact. What gives rise to an individual’s ability to regulate their arousal such that …

Gender Differences in the Form and Function of Naturally Occurring Smiles

Psychology (2024) Authors: Zoe Hansen, Paula Niedenthal, Jared Martin, and Adrienne Wood Abstract: Through their nuanced ability to reinforce, reassure, and judge, smiles accomplish many tasks in daily interactions. Do male- and female-identifying individuals use these smiles equally? Although American women smile more often than men overall, it is possible that gender differences in smile behavior are more …

Latent Class Analysis of Heart Health in a Marginalized Black Community

American Heart Association Journals (2023) Authors: Linda D. Oakley, Wan-Chin Kuo, Rick P. Voland, Hannah Olson-Williams, Faith Kunkul, and Roger L. Brown Abstract: Mounting evidence associates Black American’s experiences of chronic stress with younger age hypertension (HTN) onset, higher prevalence rates, and poorer treatment outcomes. Epigenetic research findings attribute these trends to DNA methylation, commonly referred to …

Public Health Nurse Partnerships to Advance Environmental Justice and Heart Health in a Black Community

Environmental Justice (2024) Authors: Jessica LeClair, Fatih Kunkul, Hannah Olson-Williams, Rose Fredrickson, Sarah Hughes, Katie Peterson, Palee Yang, and Linda D. Oakley Abstract: There is a robust correlation between environmental exposures and unjust cardiovascular outcomes among Black populations. Community-based public health nurses (CBPHNs) can effectively implement environmental justice interventions to promote heart health. A collaboration of interdisciplinary researchers and CBPHNs aimed …

The Effect of the Uniform Bar Examination on Admissions, Diversity, Affordability, and Employment Across Law Schools in the United States

Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis (2023) Authors: Taylor Odle, Ji Bae, Manuel González Canché Abstract: The Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) is a multijurisdictional test that law students can use to gain admission to the bar in 37 states and territories. Despite this near-universal applicability and the potential of UBE to affect law schools’ admissions, diversity, affordability, …

Explaining Course Enrollment Gaps in High School: Examination of Gender-Imbalance in the Applied Sciences

Educational Policy (2024) Authors: Jennifer Freeman, Michael Gottfried, Taylor Odle Abstract: Federal policy in the United States has urged high schools to expand offerings in career and technical education (CTE) coursework to address persistent gender inequities in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medical (STEMM) fields. Unfortunately, gender composition in engineering and health sciences CTE enrollment is …

Who’s Matched Up? Access to Same-Race Instructors in Higher Education

Economics of Education Review (2025) Authors: Taylor Odle, Michael Gottfried, Trey Miller, Rodney Andrews Abstract: Despite consistent evidence on the benefits of same-race instructor matching in K-12 settings and developing work in higher education, research has yet to conceptualize and document the incidence of same-race matching. That is, even if same-race matching produces positive effects, how …

State-Level Common Application Policies and College Enrollment

Education Finance & Policy (2025) Authors: Jennifer Delaney and Taylor Odle Abstract: Prospective college students—particularly students of color and those from low-income families—face a myriad of challenges applying to and enrolling in college, including constraints on information, financial aid, and academic preparation. Within the college search process alone, the number, diversity, and complexity of applications …