About Allison

Why is it so hard, even for people committed to gender equality, to achieve it in their own families? And what can we - individuals, couples, organizations, and society as a whole - do to make reaching equality easier? These are the questions that underpin my work as a researcher, writer, and professor.

I've spent the past eight years interviewing couples about how they divvy up the mental work involved in running a household and raising kids. Who notices we're running low on milk? Who researches childcare centers? Who decides where to go on vacation? I learned that in most different-gender couples, the answer is: She does. My book, What's on Her Mind: The Mental Workload of Family Life - forthcoming from Princeton University Press in September 2025 - documents women's heavy mental workload. But the book also explains how and why this inequality develops, even among couples who aim for something more equitable, and showcases alternative ways of allocating mental labor.

I'm an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where I teach classes on family dynamics and qualitative research methods. My academic work on mental labor and marital power dynamics has been published in the American Sociological Review and Gender & Society, received multiple awards from the American Sociological Association, and been funded by organizations like Time-Sharing Experiments for the Social Sciences and the Mental Research Institute. In one line of research, I investigate the mechanisms that perpetuate labor inequality in couples: How do spouses' emotions both reflect and shape their expectations of one another? Is housework devalued when women do it, or are women assigned devalued work? How do couples use humor to defuse tension and maintain the status quo? In another line of work, I focus on how gender norms are reproduced - or disrupted - across generations: how are contemporary parents navigating their children's gender socialization in a context of extreme polarization?

In addition to conducting rigorous research, I strive to share what I learn with people outside the academy. Through my weekly newsletter (The Daminger Dispatch), occasional op-eds, and frequent interviews with journalists and authors, I offer evidence-based insights and tools to help people understand and ultimately improve their closest relationships. I've written about gender inequality for The Guardian and The Behavioral Scientist, and my research has been featured in venues including the New York Times, the BBC, the Atlantic, and Psychology Today. I’ve written about gender inequality for The Guardian and The Behavioral Scientist, and my work has been featured in venues such as the New York Times, the BBC, and Psychology Today.

I live in Madison, Wisconsin, with my partner, our daughter, and an energetic Australian Shepherd. I have strong opinions about contemporary fiction, the best local biking and running routes, and how to make the perfect bowl of oatmeal.