William (Buddy) Scarborough | Department of Sociology

William (Buddy) Scarborough

Picture of Buddy Scarborough, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Advisor for Graduate Studies
Office: 
Sycamore 288C
Highlights: 
Gender, Race, Stratification, Culture, Quantitative Methods, Data Science

Education: Ph.D., 2019, University of Illinois at Chicago

Research Interests: I am mostly interested in using research to diagnose and address social problems. My primary contribution to these efforts is examining how local context creates the conditions that exacerbate or reduce inequality. In my book, Gendered Places, I measure the multidimensional nature of local gender norms across U.S. commuting zones and identify how they shape patterns of gender inequality. Relatedly, I've spent considerable time studying longitudinal change in individuals' attitudes and their implications on the cultural foundations of racism and sexism. In another ongoing collaborative project, I explore the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on gender and racial inequality. And with collaborators in Chicago, I've conducted research that examines different facets of structural racism and local forms of racial inequality. My current work focuses on the relationship of structural racism to racial disparities in homelessness.

I enjoy my work because I think it gives me an opportunity to help remove the things making people's lives more difficult. My research has been cited in proceedings of the U.S. House of Representatives and is often used in policy documents. I regularly provide briefings to policymakers and comments to journalists writing about social issues. I also do some research that the public is not interested in, but which advances sociological theory.

I am the graduate advisor for the Department of Sociology and will be the graduate director starting fall 2024. In these roles. I support students' completion of their graduate degree and the fulfillment of their academic aims. I love working with students at UNT because we have a culture of kindness, collaboration, and creativity. If you are interested in our graduate programs, please don't hesitate to reach out to me.

Here is my google scholar page, and here is my CV.

Selected Publications

Scarborough, William J. 2023. Gendered Places: The Landscape of Local Gender Norms Across the United States. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.

Scarborough, William J., Caitlyn Collins, Liana Christin Landivar, Leah Ruppanner, and Matt L. Huffman. 2023. "COVID-19 and the Role of Gender, Earnings, and Telecommuting in Parents' Employment." Journal of Marriage and Family 85(5): 1007-1027.

Scarborough, William J., Joanna R. Pepin, Danny L. Lambouths III, Ronald Kwon, and Ronaldo Monasterio. 2021. "The Intersection of Racial and Gender Attitudes, 1977 through 2018." American Sociological Review 86(5): 823-855.

Ruppanner, Leah, Caitlyn Collins, Liana Christin Landivar, and William J. Scarborough (equal authors). 2021. "How do Gender Norms and Childcare Costs Affect Maternal Employment Across US States?" Gender & Society 35(6): 910-939.

Scarborough, William J., Ray Sin, and Barbara J. Risman. 2019. "Attitudes and the Stalled Gender Revolution: Egalitarianism, Traditionalism, and Ambivalence Between 1977 and 2016." Gender & Society 33(2): 173-200.

Recent Public Engagements

I'm quoted in this WBEZ NPR Chicago article about what the city can do to support the recent influx of immigrants.

My research was cited in the President's 2023 Economic Report to the US Congress. See more here.

I'm quoted in this article in The Atlantic about the challenges facing parents today.

I provided my views on Family Policy for this article in the New York Times.