Prof. Leah Ruppanner
Welcome! I am a Professor of Sociology at the University of Melbourne and one of the Founding Directors of The Future of Work Lab. I completed a PhD in Sociology at the University of California at Irvine and have spent the past decade researching gender, work and family.
I am committed to understanding how women’s unpaid work – the time they spend in housework, childcare and the mental load – impacts their ability to engage in employment, sleep and overall well-being. Given that we only have 24 hours a day, time spent in activities like housework and childcare is time that can’t be spent elsewhere like in employment, rest, or leisure.
My goal is to use this research to help women gain control over their time to spend it exactly as they wish – to create more meaning, love and joy in our lives.
Do you live in a state that supports mothers?
"Motherlands is an important book that draws attention to variability in lived experiences—of mothers and women—across the USA.... (Ruppanner) raises...important questions, providing some valuable answers.... Motherlands powerfully demonstrates that the USA has a long way to go to support women as mothers, as workers, and both." —Social Forces
