Sara McLanahan

Sarah McLanahan
McLanahan delivering a lecture
Born
Sara Frances Smith

(1940-12-27)December 27, 1940
DiedDecember 31, 2021(2021-12-31) (aged 81)
Manhattan, New York, U.S.
AwardsAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellow of 2019
Academic background
Alma materUniversity of Houston, University of Texas
Academic work
InstitutionsPrinceton University, University of Wisconsin
Main interestsmotherhood, marriage, divorce, family structure, children, social stratification
Websitehttps://sociology.princeton.edu/people/sara-mclanahan

Sara McLanahan (née Smith; December 27, 1940  December 31, 2021) was an American sociologist. She is known for her work on the family as a major institution in the American stratification system. Her early work examined the consequences of divorce and remarriage for parents and children, and her later work focused on families formed by unmarried parents. She was interested in the effects of family structure on social inequality and the roles that public policies can play in addressing the needs of families and children.