Allison Dunatchik, an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of South Carolina, has been named a 2026 Frank F. Furstenberg Early Career Scholar by the Council on Contemporary Families. Dunatchik is one of four scholars selected for the 2026 cohort, which recognizes early career researchers whose work advances understanding of American families.

The Early Career Scholars Program provides professional development, mentoring and public scholarship training for researchers studying American families. Participants take part in a summer-long virtual program, meet one-on-one with senior scholar mentors and present their research during CCF’s fall workshop.

Dunatchik’s research examines how work, family and public policies shape gender inequalities in economic outcomes and the allocation of time over the life course. Her scholarship focuses on family, gender, social stratification, social demography and comparative social policy, with current work exploring caregiving penalties, labor market inequality and how gender inequalities intersect with race and nativity.

At South Carolina, Dunatchik is part of the Department of Sociology in the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences. She earned her Ph.D. in sociology and demography from the University of Pennsylvania in 2024, and her work has appeared in journals including Gender & Society, Sociological Science and European Sociological Review.

Her selection highlights the college’s growing strength in research that connects social science scholarship with pressing questions about work, care, family life and inequality.

Meet the 2026 CCF Scholars