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Laura Clawson

Laura Clawson is a writer and sociologist living in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Contact her on Bluesky at @lauraclawson.bsky.social.
African children during English class in southern Ethiopia

Fifty-One Languages, but When Does English Enter the Picture?

Educators and parents in Ethiopia agree that students should learn English in school. But when should instruction in that second (third, fourth) language begin?
Passengers pass through the TSA checkpoint at the Miami International Airport on December 17, 2024 in Miami, Florida

Going Through TSA While Trans

The TSA’s Secure Flight Program, instituted in 2009, makes gender into an object of state surveillance.
A businessman pushed against a ceiling

Social Mobility and the “Class Ceiling” in the UK

People from working-class backgrounds in the UK bump up against a "class ceiling" analogous to the glass ceiling women face in the workplace.
Colourful overlapping silhouettes of children in classroom.

Privileged Poor vs. Doubly Disadvantaged

Attendance at elite high schools can shift the practices of college students from disadvantaged backgrounds to being closer to those of middle-class students.
Multitasking woman at home at laptop

The Gendered Labor of Noticing and Anticipating

Through interviews with couples, sociologist Allison Daminger refines our understanding of cognitive labor in the household.
Set of school teachers stand at the blackboard and explains the material. Hand drawn illustration.

This One Number on a Form Can Reduce Gender Inequality

Reducing the gap between quantitative evaluation scores for male and female instructors may be as simple as changing a single number.
A mom looks at the teenage friend of her daughter and listens intently to her explaining an idea during a homework session.

Your Best Friend’s Mom

Parents, teachers, and family income affect educational and life outcomes for teenagers, but so does their best friend’s mother.
A graphical illustration of a man with a wad of cash and an airplane

Are Millionaire Taxes Self-Defeating?

A common argument against increasing taxes on high earners is that the wealthy will simply move out of the city or state with higher taxes.
An intricate tangle of the American flag.

Nationalism Before It Was in the News

Nationalist rhetoric has surged to the center of US politics, but what do Americans actually mean when they say “nationalism” in the twenty-first century?
Baby Paper Diapers on Black Background

Diapers and the Invisible Work of Poverty

The parenting work of the impoverished may not be visible, but the lengths poor mothers go to to obtain diapers reveal their engagement and vulnerability.
Sporting a natural white beard, Santa Claus visits with Ian, 2, and sister Devin Rachiele, 4, December 19, 2003 at Golf Mill Mall in Niles, Illinois.

It’s Tough Work Being a Temporary Santa

Playing the role of a shopping mall Santa comes with challenges familiar to any gig worker, but the performers also see the job as carrying special meaning.