Researching the Intersection of Social and Digital Inequalities
Gender - Digital Technologies - Intimacy - Family - Life Course
Welcome! I’m an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Oregon. My research examines the role of digital technologies—both within the United States and cross-nationally—in shaping gender inequality across the life course. I approach these issues using a range of methodologies, including latent class analysis, meta-analysis, and in-depth interviews, and by drawing on data that spans national and cultural contexts. My work has been published in journals such as the American Sociology Review, Social Science Research, Criminology, and Journal of Family Issues.
Selected Publications
The Carceral Contradictions of Motherhood: How Mothers of Incarcerated Sons Parent in the Shadow of the Criminal Legal System
MacKenzie A. Christensen, Kristin Turney, Suyeon Jang | American Sociological Review | 2025 | Article PDF
Tracing the Gendered Confidence Gap in Computing: A Cross-National Meta-Analysis of Gender Differences in Self-Assessed Tech Ability
MacKenzie A. Christensen | Social Science Research | 2023 | Article PDF
“Tindersluts” & “Tinderellas”: Examining the Digital Affordances Shaping the (Hetero)Sexual Scripts of Young Womxn on Tinder
MacKenzie A. Christensen | Sociological Perspectives | 2020 | Article PDF
About
As a first-generation college student from Spokane, Washington, I began my academic journey at age 16 through a dual-enrollment program that allowed me to attend Spokane Falls Community College while still in high school. It was there that I took my first Sociology of Gender course and discovered the power of the sociological imagination.
After completing my A.A., I transferred to Washington State University, Vancouver, where I earned my B.A. in Sociology. I later received my M.S. in Sociology from Portland State University in 2018. My master’s thesis used in-depth interviews to explore the dating app experiences of women and non-binary young adults.
I earned my Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of California, Irvine in 2024. My dissertation used quantitative methods to examine how digital technologies shape gender inequality across the transition to adulthood. Now, as an assistant professor of sociology, I’m building on this line of inquiry to better understand how digital technologies—including social media, texting, and video gaming—may (or may not) be reshaping our intimate connections.
