Miss Lisa C Waddell

Research Overview

My research encompasses the areas of family, gender, work, and mental health. More specifically, my research is motivated by my understanding of the family as a micro-social context that reflects, responds, and contributes to larger economic and social systems that drive gender disparities. Centred in my work are two outcomes connected to persistent inequalities between men and women: work and well-being. My research aims to provide insights into the ways in which gender and childhood family interact to shape experiences of adulthood. I achieve this goal by focusing on intergenerational transmission channels and family structures that account for sibling effects and differences. One key aspect of my work is that I use large-scale, nationally representative social surveys that contain rich data on families and households over long periods time. This quantitative approach allows me to engage with existing theoretical assumptions about the importance (or non-importance) of family for gender differences, and it allows me to test these assumptions against high-quality data. While contextualising my work within the larger socio-cultural environment of institutions and policies that contribute to gendered social roles and socio-economic trajectories, I analytically focus on the micro-level processes between parents, siblings, and adult children to better illuminate how disparity in men and women’s access to opportunities is generated. 

Education

I have the privilege of conducting my PhD research with funding from the ESRC's research centre on Micro-Social Change (MiSoC), under the supervision of Professor Susan Harkness and Professor Esther Dermott.  

I hold a MSc with distinction in Policy Research from the University of Bristol, a Graduate Certificate in Statistics from University of Sheffield, and a Scottish M.A. in Psychology from Univeristy of St Andrews. 

Highlighted Working Papers & Publications

Sibling moderation of young adult psychological distress during a crisis: evidence from the United Kingdom’s first Covid-19 lockdown

Awards & Grants

• MiSoC Scholarship with the University of Bristol (2021-2025)
• Bristol Plus Award (2021)
• Universities Federation of Animal Welfare Studentship (2016)

Research Centre Affiliations

• Research Centre on Micro-Social Change (MiSoC)
• Children and Families Research Centre
• Centre fore Poverty and Social Justice