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Soft Patriarchs, New Men

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W. Bradford Wilcox is assistant professor of Sociology at the University of Virginia and a member of the James Madison Society at Princeton University.

He earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Virginia and his Ph.D. at Princeton University. Prior to coming to the University of Virginia, he held research fellowships at Princeton University, Yale University and the Brookings Institution.

Mr. Wilcox's research focuses on marriage and cohabitation, and on the ways that religion, gender, and children influence the quality and stability of American family life. He has published articles on marriage, cohabitation, parenting, and fatherhood in The American Sociological Review, Social Forces, The Journal of Marriage and Family and The Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. His first book, Soft Patriarchs, New Men: How Christianity Shapes Fathers and Husbands, (Chicago, 2004) examines the ways in which the religious beliefs and practices of American Protestant men influence their approach to parenting, household labor, and marriage. His next book, Soulmates: Religion and Relationships in Urban America, will explore the ways in which religion shapes the quality and stability of relationships among African Americans and Latinos. Mr. Wilcox is now researching the effect that gender norms, children, commitment, and religion have on the quality of contemporary American marriages.

Professor Wilcox has received the following two awards from the American Sociological Association Religion Section for his research: the Best Graduate Paper Award and the Best Article Award (with Brian Steensland et al.). His research has also been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, USA Today, The Boston Globe, The Los Angeles Times, NBC’s Today Show, CBS News, and numerous NPR stations.

Professor Wilcox teaches courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels in statistics, family, and religion.