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Cassandra Dorius

Dr. Dorius is a family demographer with an emerging research agenda in the area of family stratification and quantitative methods. She currently has four articles under review and thirteen articles in preparation that address two basic questions: (1) How does family structure and instability contribute to the unequal distribution of social and economic resources, and (2) How are family formation patterns reproduced across generations? Using a micro-comparative approach, Dr. Dorius relies on three streams of inquiry to assess how inequalities are developed and perpetuated, including having children with more than one person (multipartnered fertility), engaging in cohabitation relative to marriage, and experiencing family disruption as a child. Her program of study has been made possible by five years of continuous grant funding, including external support from the National Science Foundation and the National Center for Marriage and Family Research. Her work has been published in several of the top journals in her area, and she has first authored manuscripts in Social Forces, Journal of Marriage and Family, and Hormones and Behavior (5-year impact score of 4.13). In addition to engaging others in her field, Dr. Dorius’s research has been the topic of national media coverage, including reputable outlets such as National Public Radio, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Time Magazine, and Bloomberg Buisnessweek. Visit her academic website at ChangingAmercianFamilies.com for more information on her research.

Funded Research:

Assessing Family Change and Instability from 1979-2010 (Mueller)

Family Instability from a Child’s Perspective (PSC Initiatives Fund)

Postdoctoral Mentor: Pamela Smock

Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University

Dr. Dorius is a family demographer with an emerging research agenda in the area of family stratification and quantitative methods. She currently has four articles under review and thirteen articles in preparation that address two basic questions: (1) How does family structure and instability contribute to the unequal distribution of social and economic resources, and (2) How are family formation patterns reproduced across generations? Using a micro-comparative approach, Dr. Dorius relies on three streams of inquiry to assess how inequalities are developed and perpetuated, including having children with more than one person (multipartnered fertility), engaging in cohabitation relative to marriage, and experiencing family disruption as a child. Her program of study has been made possible by five years of continuous grant funding, including external support from the National Science Foundation and the National Center for Marriage and Family Research. Her work has been published in several...   MORE...

Recent Publications

Journal Articles

Dorius, Cassandra, A. Booth, J. Hibel, D.A. Granger, and D. Johnson. 2011. "Parents' testosterone and children's perception of parent-child relationship quality." Hormones and Behavior, 60(5): 512-519. PMCID: PMC3210413. DOI. Abstract.

Dorius, Cassandra, and J. McCarthy. 2011. "Understanding Activist Leadership Effort in the Movement Opposing Drinking and Driving." Social Forces, 90(2): 453-473. PMCID: PMC3444253. DOI. Abstract.

Durant, M., and Cassandra Dorius. 2007. "Study Abroad Survey Instruments: A Comparison of Survey Types and Experiences." Journal of Studies in International Education, 11(1): 33-53. DOI. Abstract.

Chapters

Amato, P.R., and Cassandra Dorius. 2010. "Fathers, Children, and Divorce." In The Role of the Father in Child Development edited by M. E. Lamb. 177-200. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Dorius, Cassandra, and L. Wray-Lake. 2008. "Expanding the Horizon: New Directions for the Study of Intergenerational Care and Exchange." In Intergenerational Caregiving edited by A. Booth, A. C. Crouter, S. Bianchi, & J. Seltzer. 351-381. Washington, DC: The Urban Institute Press.

PSC Reports

Smock, Pamela, Wendy Manning, and Cassandra Dorius. 2013. "The Intergenerational Transmission of Cohabitation in the U.S.: The Role of Parental Union Histories." PSC Research Report No. 13-791. May 2013. Abstract. PDF.

Dorius, Cassandra. 2012. "Does MPF Put Women at Risk? Theories of Multipartnered Fertility and Health." PSC Research Report No. 12-770. August 2012. Abstract. PDF.

Dorius, Cassandra. 2012. "New Approaches to Measuring Multipartnered Fertility Over the Life Course." PSC Research Report No. 12-769. August 2012. Abstract. PDF.

Hernandez, Daphne C., Emily Pressler, Cassandra Dorius, and Katherine Stamps Mitchell. 2012. "Family Instability, Gender, and Overweight Status in Young Adulthood." PSC Research Report No. 12-768. August 2012. Abstract. PDF.

Other Reports

Smock, Pamela, and Cassandra Dorius. 2011. "Counting Cohabiting Couples from 1980-2010." Counting Couples, Counting Families 2011 Report. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health.

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