I am a PhD candidate in Sociology at the University of Minnesota, where I study work, gender, and inequality. My dissertation examines how women’s reasons for leaving the labor force affect whether they ever return, after how long, and how their post-return jobs are different than the ones they held before they left the labor force. Other current research as part of the Work, Family & Health Network considers workplace flexibility in an IT workforce – which employees work from home (telecommute) or have variable work schedules (flextime), how much control do they feel over such work practices, and how does a workplace initiative change those relationships. My current work is linked to social sustainability and past (and hopefully future) projects also consider environmental sustainability. When I’m not studying or pondering the social world, I enjoy yoga and hiking.