BIOGRAPHY
Marisa Young is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at McMaster University, an Early Career Fellow at the Work-Family Research Network (formally the Sloan Foundation), a Canadian Research Chair in Mental Health and Work-Life Transitions, and Co-Chair of the Canadian Sociological Association Mental Health Research Cluster. Her research investigates the intersection between work, family, and residential contexts to bring a greater understanding to social inequalities in mental health for parents and children.
Her research has been published in well-known journals, such as the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, Family Relations, Journal of Family Issues, Society & Mental Health, Social Science Research, and Work & Stress. Her contribution to work and family scholarship has also been notably recognized, receiving several nominations for the prestigious Rosabeth Moss Kanter Award for Excellence in Work-Family Research.
Findings from Dr. Young’s studies help inform community-based initiatives in aiding families deal with the competing demands of work and family. Her research underscores how communities matter: The people in our communities serve as social support networks; the resources we can access help decrease the stress of daily demands. Parents and children benefit from these types of resources and supports. Dr. Young’s research helps underscore these processes, and the need for collective communities in combating the prevalence of distress amongst working parents today.
Dr. Young and her research collaborators have been working with various community partners in Canada and the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area to communicate their research initiatives, including The Canadian Mental Health Association, Mental Health International and the Centre for Research on Inner City Health (St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto).
