Sociology | Penn Today

Female whistleblowers face more retaliation—here’s how to avoid it, according to a new study

A study by Nancy Rothbard of the Wharton School finds that women at all levels of power are far more likely than men to face retaliation when speaking up about moral infractions.

In Philly’s DHS crisis, a bleak reminder of how America treats its most vulnerable children

PIK Professor Dorothy E. Roberts calls for dismantling America’s child welfare system, arguing that it largely punishes Black families for being poor.

Q&A

Young, Gifted, and Diverse: Camille Z. Charles on Black identity

In a new book, sociologist Camille Z. Charles explores the multifaceted identities of Black college students.

The Pentagon established an office to track UFOs. What could we learn?

Kate Dorsch of the School of Arts & Sciences clarifies how UFOs and UAPs are classified and delves into the scarcity of knowledge gleaned from their potential sightings by the military.

A crowd of people gathered, one holds a sign that reads ABORTION IS ESSENTIAL.

Q&A

Dorothy Roberts on the future of abortion advocacy

Dorothy Roberts speaks with Penn Today on the implications of the Dobbs decision, which struck down Roe v. Wade, leaving many states with no legal right to abortion.

A person tearing up in a crowd of people. The person, who is holding a green bandana, wears a shirt that says "We Won't Back Down." Other people hold up signs in the crowd, including "Keep Abortion Legal."

Overturning Roe disproportionately burdens marginalized groups

For low-income people and people of color, lack of access to safe abortions in the U.S. will have a range of health and financial ramifications, compounding factors like poverty and systemic racism.

How historical racism influences modern poverty and racial inequality

Sociologist Regina Baker finds that Black people in southern U.S. states with significant institutionalized historical racial practices experience worse poverty today. These states also have a wider poverty gap between Black and white populations.

Following the trail of Elizabeth Thomas, fossil hunter

Claire Conklin Sabel, a doctoral student in Penn’s History and Sociology of Science department, uncovers the findings of 18th-century amateur naturalist Elizabeth Thomas, along with illustrator Alix Pentecost-Farren, who brings Thomas’ work to life.

Manoj Simha and Rowana Miller standing on stairway

Cosmic Writers brings free creative writing education to school-aged children

May graduates Rowana Miller and Manoj Simha lead Cosmic Writers, a project supported by President’s Engagement Prize that provides free creative writing instruction to K-12 students virtually throughout the world.

Both nature and nurture contribute to signatures of socioeconomic status in the brain

Gideon Nave of the Wharton School and Martha Farah of the School of Arts & Sciences are quoted on their work that found evidence that both genetics and environmental influences contribute to the impact of socioeconomic status in a complex interplay with effects that span a variety of brain regions.

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