Bio          

Kathleen Broussard earned her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Texas at Austin (2022), where she specialized in demography as a Fellow at the Population Research Center. She also holds an M.A. from the University of Chicago. She is also a faculty affiliate of the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies at USC and the Carolina Population Center at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Research

Broussard’s research examines the individual, social, and structural determinants of reproductive health desires, behaviors, and outcomes. Using a reproductive justice-informed approach, she investigates how people navigate reproduction and the healthcare system—including contraceptive use, pregnancy, and abortion—and how social institutions and technologies shape these experiences. She employs a range of methodological approaches, including surveys, interviews, and content analysis, to explore these complex dynamics. 

Her current work focuses on unrealized fertility—when individuals are unable to have the children they desire. She aims to document its prevalence across different subgroups in the U.S. and develop new measures that capture the biopsychosocial factors that shape reproductive decision-making. This research contributes to broader conversations about fertility, family formation, and reproductive constraints in contemporary society.

Her work has been published in leading journals, including Journal of Health and Social Behavior, Social Science & Medicine, Population Studies, JAMA Network Open, American Journal of Public Health, and Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. It has also received national media attention, with coverage in The New York Times and The Atlantic, and has been cited in two U.S. Supreme Court amicus briefs (June Medical Services v. Russo and Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization).

Broussard’s research has been supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Society of Family Planning. In recognition of her contributions to sociology, she has received multiple awards from the American Sociological Association and the Eastern Sociological Society.

Teaching

SOCY 749: Population Perspectives of Gender, Sexuality, and Health

SOCY 316: Reproductive Governance and Resistance

SOCY 398: Reproductive Health and Rights

SOCY 391: Research Methods

Selected Publications

Broussard, Kathleen. 2024. "Strategic (Non)disclosure: The Role of Social Networks in Self-Managed Abortion” Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 65(4), 489-505. 

• Honorable Mention, 2024 James S. Coleman Award for Outstanding Article, ASA Section on Decision-Making, Social Networks, and Society

Zoe Pleasure, Becker, Andréa, Dana Johnson, Kathleen Broussard, and Laura Lindberg. 2024. “How TikTok is Being Used to Talk About Abortion Post-Roe: A Content Analysis of the Most Liked Abortion TikToks” Contraception. Online first.

O’Quinn, Jamie, Erika Slaymaker, Jess Goldstein-Kral, and Kathleen Broussard. 2024. “Sociology from a Distance: Remote Interviews and Feminist Methods” Qualitative Sociology 47:43-67.

Aiken, Abigail, Alejandra Tello-Pérez, Melissa Madera, Jennifer E. Starling, Dana Johnson, Kathleen Broussard, Elisa Padron, Carol Armelle Ze-Noah, and James Scott. "Factors Associated with Knowledge and Experience of Self-Managed Abortion Among Patients Seeking Care at 49 U.S. Abortion Clinics" JAMA Network Open, 6(4):e238701.

Broussard, Kathleen and Andréa Becker. 2021. “Self-Removal of Long-Acting Reversible Contraception: A Content Analysis of YouTube Videos” Contraception, 104(6):654-658.

Broussard, Kathleen. 2020. “The Changing Landscape of Abortion Care: Embodied Experiences of Structural Stigma in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland” Social Science & Medicine 245:1-9.

Broussard, Kathleen and Abigail Weitzman. 2020. “Sibling Mortality and Fertility Ideals from the High-Mortality Context of Peru” Population Studies, 74(2):179-195.

Aiken, Abigail R. A., Kathleen Broussard, Dana Johnson, Elisa Padron, Jennifer E. Starling, and James G. Scott. 2020. “Knowledge, interest, and motivations surrounding self-managed medication abortion among patients at three Texas clinics” American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 223(2):238.e1-238.e10.

Broussard, Kathleen, Payal Hathi, and Diane Coffey. 2019. “Assessing public awareness and use of medical abortion via mobile phone survey in India” Contraception, 100(6):457-463.

Aiken, Abigail R.A., Kathleen Broussard, Dana Johnson, and Elisa Padron. 2018. “Motivations and Experiences of People Seeking Medication Abortion Online in the United States” Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 50(4):157-163.