Andrew J. Cherlin

Cherlin is a major social demographer and sociologist of the family. His research documents and interprets family change and its social significance. His work suggests that marriage lost practical importance in the U.S. but that Americans now accord it greater symbolic social standing than in the past. His recent research brought the consequences of family change for children into focus. In policy works, Cherlin faults both liberal and conservative family-policy advocates for selectively citing social science evidence. He has received an NIH MERIT Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and was elected President of the Population Association of America.  He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences.