Elizabeth Ananat and Anna Gassman-Pines Honored for Their Study on the Impact of Work Schedule Unpredictability

Dr. Ananat

Elizabeth Ananat, Mallya Professor of Women and Economics at Barnard College in New York City and Anna Gassman-Pines, the WLF Bass Connections Associate Professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University, received the 2022 Rosabeth Moss Kanter Award for Excellence in Work-Family Research from the Center for Families at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. The Kanter Award is given to the authors who publish the best work-family research article during a calendar year (“family” is broadly defined by the awards committee).

The two women scholars were recognized for their publication of “Work Schedule Unpredictability: Daily Occurrence and Effects on Working Parents’ Well-Being,” which was published in the Journal of Marriage and Family. The author found that unpredictability in work schedules has increased over time, especially for low-wage workers. Their study found that parents experienced an unanticipated work schedule change on 13.3 percent of their workdays, and 87 percent of parents experienced at least one unanticipated work schedule change over the course of 30 days.

Dr. Gassman-Pines

Within families, unpredictable work schedule changes on a given day were associated with worse outcomes that day for parents, including increased negative mood and decreased perceived sleep quality. The study has important implications since it strongly suggests a relationship between parents’ ability to predict their schedules at work and the development and well-being of their children.

Before coming to Barnard College, Professor Ananat served as senior economist for Labor, Education, and Welfare at the White House Council of Economic Advisers. Her research focuses on the intergenerational dynamics of poverty and inequality. Dr. Ananat received a bachelor’s degree in political economy and mathematics from Williams College in Massachusetts. She holds a master’s degree in public policy from the Ford School at the University of Michigan, and a Ph.D. in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Dr. Gassman-Pines holds a joint appointment in psychology and neuroscience at Duke University. Her research focuses on low-wage work, family life, and the effects of welfare and employment policy on child and maternal well-being in low-income families. Dr. Gassman-Pines earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Yale University. She holds a Ph.D. in community and developmental psychology from New York University.