Faculty Bio

Lindy Williams

Associate Professor of Development Sociology

220 Warren Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853-7801
Email: lbw2@cornell.edu
Phone: (607) 255-4609

Training

Ph.D. 1987 Brown University (Sociology)
M.A. 1984 Brown University (Sociology)
A.B. 1979 Colby College (English)

Areas of Interest

» population and development in Southeast Asia
» reproductive decision-making
» gender
» family/life-course
» methodology

Research

My research focuses on social change and the family in a number of contexts in Asia (Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore, and Taiwan), as well as in parts of Sudan, and it addresses issues pertaining to family demography and reproductive health in the United States. Gender relations and intergenerational relations, attitudes, and decision-making are central themes in my research. Currently I am working with colleagues in Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines to assess changing attitudes toward marriage and partnering in Hanoi, Bangkok, and Manila. My main focus will be on social contexts and decisions made within those contexts that tend to disadvantage one group compared to another. Primary among these will continue to be decisions that affect the well-being of girls relative to their brothers, or women compared to their husbands, partners, or other relatives..

Selected Publications

Forthcoming. Parfait Eloundou-Enyegue and ___, “Family Size and Schooling in Sub-Saharan African Settings: A Reexamination," Demography.

Forthcoming. Scott Johnson and ___, “Deference and Denial: Men Talk About Contraception and Unplanned Pregnancy,” International Journal of Men’s Health.

Forthcoming. Umaporn Pattaravanich, ___, Thomas A. Lyson, and Kritaya Archavanitkul, “Inequality and educational investment in Thai Children,” Rural Sociology.

2005. ___ and Philip Guest, “Attitudes toward Marriage among the Urban Middle-Class in Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines,” Journal of Comparative Family Studies.

2003. ___ and Teresa Sobieszczyk, “Couple Attitudes and Agreement Regarding Pregnancy Wantedness in the Philippines, Journal of Marriage and the Family 65: 1019-1029.

2001. ___, Linda Piccinino, Joyce Abma, and Florio Arguillas, “Pregnancy Wantedness: Attitude Stability Over Time,” Social Biology, 48(3-4): 212-233.

2001. ___ and Teresa Sobieszczyk, "Consistency between Survey and Interview Data Concerning Pregnancy Wantedness in the Philippines," Studies in Family Planning, 32(3): 244-253.

2000. ___ and Joyce Abma, "Birth Wantedness Reports: A Look Forward and A Look Back,"Social Biology, 47 (3-4):147-163.

2000. ___, T. Sobieszczyk, and A. Perez, "Couples' Views about Planning Fertility in the Philippines," Rural Sociology 65(3): 484-514.

1999. ___, Joyce Abma, and Linda Piccinino, "Childbearing Expectations and Subsequent Fertility Behavior: An Analysis Using Prospective Reports," Family Planning Perspectives 31(5): 220-227.

1999. ___, Harvey Lin, and Kalyani Mehta, "Intergenerational Influence in Singapore and Taiwan: The Role of the Elderly in Family Decisions," Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology, 14: 291-322.

1997. ___ and T. Sobieszczyk, "Attitudes Surrounding the Continuation of Female Circumcision in the Sudan: Passing the Tradition to the Next Generation," Journal of Marriage and the Family, 59: 966-981.

1997. __, K. Archavanitkul, and N. Havanon, "Which Children Will Go to Secondary School? Factors Affecting Parents' Decisions in Rural Thailand," Rural Sociology, 62(2): 231-161.