Using demographic and other quantitative methods, Professor Percheski studies how recent and ongoing changes in family life are related to changing patterns of social inequality in the United States.

Prof. Percheski's previous work has examined the relationship between family characteristics and social inequality in several domains including income and wealth inequality in the United States, employment patterns among mothers and fathers, health insurance coverage for adults, and health care utilization among children. Her current research portfolio includes investigations of 1) racial and ethnic wealth gaps among families with children;  2) cohort change in the associations between childhood family resources and family formation in young adulthood; 3) impacts of local economic conditions on sexual and contraceptive behavior among unmarried women and men; 4) the effects of state insurance investments on wealth inequality in children’s development.