Lauren Danielowski

Entry Cohort: Fall 2022 | She/Her/Hers

EDUCATION:

M.A. Sociology, The George Washington University

B.A. Sociology, The George Washington University

RESEARCH INTERESTS:

Gender, reproductive health, human rights, comparative sociology, political sociology,  public sociology, qualitative methods

CURRENT RESEARCH:

My MA thesis was a content analysis of media discourses surrounding racial disparities in rates of maternal mortality in the United States. Using a sample of digital news articles from 7 news outlets from 2010-2019, I examined how systemic racism was identified as a root cause of disparities in maternal mortality as well as explored how public health issues like maternal health are framed as political issues in mainstream US news media. Currently, I am continuing to work on this project, collecting additional data from 2020-present to examine how the COVID-19 pandemic has shaped media discourses around maternal health.

DISSERTATION:

Crossing Borders, Making Families, and Claiming Rights: Reproductive Rights in the US Commercial Surrogacy Market

How are reproductive rights for intended parents and surrogates negotiated and claimed in the US surrogacy market? In this dissertation, I draw on in-depth interviews with surrogates and intended parents, policy analysis, and ethnographic observations to understand how reproductive rights are accessed, challenged, and complicated in relation to the fulfillment of economic rights in the case of assisted reproduction. 

GRANTS AND AWARDS:
2024 Wood/Raith Gender Identity Living Trust Summer Fellowship

2023 Sage Publications Keith Roberts Teaching Innovations Award

PUBLICATIONS:

  1. Danielowski, Lauren & Bhoomi Thakore. 2026. “Black Maternal Politics, Racism, and Reproductive Rights in Online News Media” Sociology of Race & Ethnicity  (2026): pp 1-20. 
  2. Danielowski, Lauren & Kristen M. Budd. 2026. “Editorial Introduction” in Global Agenda for Social Justice 3 by Kristen M. Budd, Heather Dillaway, David Lane,  Manjusha Nair, Marko Salvaggio, and Jason Smith (eds.). Bristol, UK: Policy Press.
  3. Danielowski, Lauren. 2025. “‘An Oasis of Hope’ and ‘Superior’ Expertise: Advertising Sexual Citizenship in the United States Commercial Surrogacy Market” in Advances in Gender Research Volume 36 by Marcia Segal and Vicky Demos (eds.). Emerald Publishing.
  4. Danielowski, Lauren. 2023. “Reproduction as Work: Addressing a Gap in Economic Rights Discourses,” Health & Human Rights. 25(2): 29-42.
  5. Silver, Hilary & Lauren Danielowski. 2019. “Fighting Housing Discrimination in Europe,” Housing Policy Debate. 29(2019): 714-735.

    MAJOR ADVISOR:

    Manisha Desai and Kim Price-Glynn

    COMMITTEE:

    Fumilayo Showers, Bhoomi Thakore, and Mary Bernstein

    Headshot of Lauren Danielowski
    Contact Information
    Emaillauren.danielowski@uconn.edu