A central purpose of the Council on Contemporary Families is to help the media find experts in various arenas of family research and practice. Please consult our alphabetized index if you are seeking information on a particular topic.

If you have a specific question that is not covered here, please contact our Director of Research and Public Education, Stephanie Coontz, who can connect you with other sources or send out a confidential query to our professional listserve, at coontzs@msn.com, 360.352.8117 or 360.556.9223 (cell). Many journalists have found this to be a useful way of discovering who is doing new research on a topic of interest.

Adolescents: Transition to Adulthood, Parenting, Teen Sex

Farris, Buford
Furstenberg, Frank
Gordon, Linda Perlman
Johnson, Waldo E.
Kurz, Demie
Moore, Mignon
Nack, Adina
Nelson, Margaret K.
Neilson, Linda
Ranes, Diane
Risman, Barbara J.
Linda Young

Adoption and Foster Care

Pertman, Adam
Samuels, Gina Miranda
Trimberger, E. Kay
Turner-Vorbeck, Tammy

African American Families

Hill, Shirley
Franklin, Donna L.
Gerstel, Naomi
Johnson, Waldo E.
Moore, Mignon
Peebles-Wilkins, Wilma

Aging: Public Policy Issues, Care Giving

Applewhite, Ashton
Smeeding, Timothy M.
Wisensale, Steven

Asian and Asian American Families

Almeida, Rhea
Lee, Jennifer

Caregiving

Drago, Robert
Gerstel, Naomi
Nelson, Margaret K.
Pugh, Allison
Thorne, Barrie
Williams, Joan C.
Wisensale, Steve
Zelizer, Viviana

Childcare

Bergmann, Barbara
Gornick, Janet
Gregory, Elizabeth
Kurz, Demie

Childhood: Historical Trends

Coontz, Stephanie
Mintz, Steven
Zelizer, Viviana

Children: Contemporary Psychology, Parenting, Social and Medical Issues

Ahrons, Constance
Coleman, Joshua
Correll, Shelly J.
Cowan, Carolyn Pape
Cowan, Philip A.
Furstenberg, Frank
Gerson, Kathleen
Gordon, Linda Perlman
Hofferth, Sandra
McCallum, Larry
Mintz, Steven
Nack, Adina
Newman, Stephanie
Powell, Brian
Pugh, Allison
Ricci, Isolina
Thorne, Barrie

Cohabitation

Cherlin, Andrew
England, Paula
Heuveline, Patrick
Musick, Kelly
Smock, Pamela

Consumer Culture and Families

Pugh, Allison

Contemporary Childhoods

Pugh, Allison
Thorne, Barrie

Counseling Families: See Family Therapy

Couples: Relationship Issues, Sexuality and Contraception, Transition to Parenting, Counseling

Ahrons, Constance
Bernstein, Anne
Browning, Scott
Bruess, Carol J.
Coleman, Joshua
Cowan, Carolyn Pape
Cowan, Philip
England, Paula
Gadoua, Susan Pease
Gerson, Kathleen
Gordon, Linda Perlman
Katz, Elana
Nack, Adina
Parker, Lynn
Pertman, Adam
Ranes, Diane
Rutter, Virginia
Schwartz, Pepper
Linda Young
Zelizer, Viviana

Cross National Comparisons of Families, Work and Policy

Ferree, Myra Marx
Gornick, Janet
Smeeding, Timothy

Differences in Family Life: Low Income Families, Economic inequality, Affluence in Families

Bergmann, Barbara
Browning, Scott
Cowan, Carolyn Pape
Cowan, Philip A.
Farris, Buford
Ferree, Myra Marx
Gerson, Kathleen
Heuveline, Patrick
Iversen, Roberta Rehner
McClain, Linda C.
Musick, Kelly
Nelson, Margaret K.
Powell, Brian
Pugh, Allison
Randles, Jennifer
Smeeding, Timothy
Struening, Karen
Williams, Joan C.

Division of Household Labor in Families (including children's labor)

Coleman, Joshua
Cowan, Carolyn Pape
Cowan, Philip A.
England, Paula
Gerson, Kathleen
Gerstel, Naomi
Pfeffer, Carla
Sayer, Liana
Smock, Pamela
Thorne, Barrie
Williams, Joan C.

Divorce: Trends, Policies, Debates over Impact on Adults and Children, Decisions to Stay or Leave, Minimizing Conflict, Custody Issues, Public Policy

Ahrons, Constance
Bernstein, Anne
Braithwaite, Dawn O.
Browning, Scott
Bruess, Carol J.
Coleman, Joshua
Coleman, Marilyn
Emery, Robert E.
England, Paula
Finley, Gordon E.
Gadoua, Susan Pease
Gerson, Kathleen
Gordon, Linda Perlman
Heuveline, Patrick
Janning, Michelle
Katz, Elana
Lehrer, Evelyn
Musick, Kelly
Neilsen, Linda
Ranes, Diane H.
Ricci, Isolina
Rutter, Virginia E.
Smock, Pamela
Linda Young

Domestic Violence

Almeida, Rhea
Emery, Robert E.
Finley, Gordon E.
Hudak, Jacqueline
Johnson, Michael

Family Life and Structure

Ahrons, Constance
Bernstein, Anne
Coffey, Ellen Pulleyblank
Coleman, Marilyn
Franklin, Donna L.
Gerson, Kathleen
Gregory, Elizabeth
Heuveline, Patrick
Johnson, Waldo E.
Lehrer, Evelyn
McClain, Linda C.
Mintz, Steven
Musick, Kelly
Powell, Brian
Pridmore-Brown, Michelle
Ranes, Diane H.
Smock, Pamela
Struening, Karen

Family Loss and Resiliency

Ahrons, Constance
Boss, Pauline
Coffey, Ellen Pulleyblank
Walsh, Froma

Family Therapy

Ahrons, Constance
Bernstein, Anne
Browning, Scott
Boss, Pauline
Coffey, Ellen Pulleyblank
Cowan, Carolyn Pape
Cowan, Philip A.
Gadoua, Susan Pease
Gordon, Linda Perlman
Hudak, Jacqueline
Katz, Elana
Kliman, Jodie
Neilson, Linda
Parker, Lynn
Ranes, Diane H.
Spiegelman, Charlotte
Walsh, Froma

Fathering

Ahrons, Constance
Coleman, Marilyn
Cowan, Carolyn Pape
Cowan, Philip A.
Finley, Gordon E.
Furstenberg, Frank
Gerson, Kathleen
Hofferth, Sandra
Johnson, Waldo E.
Risman, Barbara J.

Feminism: Effect on Families

Gerson, Kathleen
Kahn-Hut, Rachel
McClain, Linda C.
Powell, Brian
Pfeffer, Carla
Risman, Barbara J.
Siegel, Deborah
Thorne, Barrie
Trimberger, E. Kay

Gay and Lesbian Issues

Coontz, Stephanie
Hudak, Jacqueline
McClain, Linda C.
Moore, Mignon
Pertman, Adam
Pfeffer, Carla
Ranes, Diane H.

Gender Issues

Bergmann, Barbara
Correll, Shelly J.
Drago, Robert
England, Paula
Ferree, Myra Marx
Finley, Gordon E.
Gerson, Kathleen
Gerstel, Naomi
Gornick, Janet
Janning, Michelle
McClain, Linda C.
Pfeffer, Carla
Powell, Brian
Pridmore-Brown, Michelle
Randles, Jennifer
Ranes, Diane H.
Risman, Barbara J.
Sayer, Liana
Siegel, Deborah
Smock, Pamela
Strober, Myra
Thorne, Barrie
Williams, Joan C.

Health Care and Families, Eating Disorders

Joffe, Carole
Coffey, Ellen Pulleyblank
Johnson, Waldo E.
Kliman, Jodie
Nack, Adina
Ranes, Diane H.
Smeeding, Timothy

History of Family, Gender Roles, Marriage, Divorce

Coontz, Stephanie
Mintz, Steven

Infertility

Bernstein, Anne
Coleman, Joshua

Intercultural Families

Furstenberg, Frank
Gerstel, Naomi
Lee, Jennifer
Nemzoff, Ruth
Powell, Brian

International Trends in Marriage, Family Life, Family Policy

Coontz, Stephanie
Ferree, Myra Marx
Gornick, Janet
Smeeding, Timothy

Low Income Families: see Differences in Family Life

Marriage Trends, Dynamics, Effects; Marriage Promotion

Ahrons, Constance
Bergmann, Barbara
Cherlin, Andrew
Coleman, Joshua
Coontz, Stephanie
Cowan, Carolyn Pape
Cowan, Philip A.
Finley, Gordon E.
Gerson, Kathleen
Gornick, Janet
McCallum, Larry
McClain, Linda C.
Musick, Kelly
Randles, Jennifer
Ranes, Diane H.
Rutter, Virginia E.
Schwartz, Pepper
Siegel, Deborah
Smeeding, Timothy
Smock, Pamela
Linda Young

Military Families

Ross, Susan

Motherhood

Drago, Robert
Gerson, Kathleen
Gregory, Elizabeth
Pridmore-Brown, Michelle
Pugh, Allison
Thorne, Barrie
Williams, Joan C.

Multi-Cultural Families

Kliman, Jodie
Lee, Jennifer
Moore, Mignon
Samuels, Gina Miranda
Nemzoff, Ruth
Turner-Vorbeck, Tammy

Multi-Generational Families

Gerstel, Naomi
Lee, Jennifer
Nemzoff, Ruth

Parenting

Ahrons, Constance
Browning, Scott
Cowan, Carolyn Pape
Cowan, Philip A.
Finley, Gordon E.
Furstenberg, Frank
Gerson, Kathleen
Johnson, Waldo E.
Katz, Elana
Kurz, Demie
McCallum, Larry
Mintz, Steven
Nemzoff, Ruth
Newman, Stephanie
Pugh, Allison
Ricci, Isolina
Sayer, Liana
Thorne, Barrie
Williams, Joan C.

Reproduction and Sexual Health

Bernstein, Anne
Nack, Adina
Pridmore-Brown, Michelle
Ranes, Diane H.
Rutter, Virginia E.
Schwartz, Pepper

Reproductive Politics

Ferree, Myra Marx
Gregory, Elizabeth
Joffe, Carole

Remarriage: see Stepfamilies

Sex Education

McCallum, Larry
McClain, Linda C.
Nack, Adina
Rutter, Virginia E.
Schwartz, Pepper

Sexuality

England, Paula
Furstenberg, Frank
McCallum, Larry
Nack, Adina
Pfeffer, Carla
Ranes, Diane H.
Rutter, Virginia E.
Schwartz, Pepper
Linda Young

Single Mothers

Bergmann, Barbara
Cherlin, Andrew
Furstenberg, Frank
Heuveline, Patrick
Musick, Kelly
Nelson, Margaret K.
Ricci, Isolina
Williams, Joan C.

Step-Families

Ahrons, Constance
Bernstein, Anne
Braithwaite, Dawn O.
Browning, Scott
Coleman, Marilyn
Neilson, Linda
Ranes, Diane H.
Ricci, Isolina

Transition to Adulthood

Furstenberg, Frank
Gerson, Kathleen
Nemzoff, Ruth
Gordon, Linda Perlman
Linda Young

Trauma and Disaster

Coffey, Ellen Pulleyblank
Boss, Pauline

Welfare Policies and Families

Cherlin, Andrew
Farris, Buford
Ferree, Myra Marx
Furstenberg, Frank
Iversen, Roberta Rehner
Johnson, Waldo E.
Nelson, Margaret K.
Smeeding, Timothy M.
Wisensale, Steven

Women's Issues: see Gender Issues

Work and Family Issues: Effects on Family, Employer-Employee Relations, Social Policy

Drago, Robert
Gerson, Kathleen
Gornick, Janet
Gregory, Elizabeth
Iversen, Roberta Rehner
Janning, Michelle
Pridmore-Brown, Michelle
Risman, Barbara J.
Sayer, Liana
Wisensale, Steven
Williams, Joan C.

Working Women and Working Mothers

Bergmann, Barbara
Coleman, Marilyn
Coontz, Stephanie
Drago, Robert
England, Paula
Gerson, Kathleen
Gornick, Janet
Gregory, Elizabeth
Janning, Michelle
Kahn-Hut, Rachel
Lehrer, Evelyn
Strober, Myra
Smock, Pamela
Williams, Joan C.

About CCF: The Council on Contemporary Families is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to providing the press and public with the latest research and best-practice findings about American families. Our members include demographers, economists, family therapists, historians, political scientists, psychologists, social workers, sociologists, as well as other family social scientists and practitioners. Founded in 1996 and based at the University of Illinois at Chicago, the Council's mission is to enhance the national understanding of how and why contemporary families are changing, what needs and challenges they face, and how these needs can best be met.

To learn more about other briefing papers and about our annual April conferences, including complimentary press passes for journalists, contact Stephanie Coontz, CCF's Director of Research and Public Education, at coontzs@msn.com.