NCFR member Sara McLanahan, Ph.D., died on Dec. 31, 2021. She was the William S. Tod professor of sociology and public affairs at Princeton University. As a sociologist, Dr. McLanahan dedicated her career to studying the effects of family structure on social inequality and the roles that public policies can play in addressing the needs of families and children. Her early work examined the consequences of divorce and remarriage for parents and children, and her later work focused on families formed by unmarried parents.

Dr. McLanahan was editor-in-chief of the journal The Future of Children, a trustee of the Russell Sage Foundation, and was a member of many professional science organizations. She served as president of the Population Association of America.

Dr. McLanahan published more than 125 research articles, 59 book chapters, and 7 books and edited volumes. More than 915 articles have been published which rely on data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, which she co-founded.

Dr. McLanahan was a frequent presenter at NCFR conferences and author for Journal of Marriage and Family.  She was a three time recipient of NCFR's Reuben Hill Award, recognizing the best family theory research of the year.

Her many accomplishments are well detailed in this memoriam from Princeton.