Linda S. Blum

Linda S. Blum is an American sociologist and feminist scholar known for her interdisciplinary research on gender, work, and family. A professor emerita at the University of Michigan, her scholarship critically examines the intersections of feminism, labor movements, and social policy. Her influential work includes the award-winning book Between Feminism and Labor: The Significance of the Comparable Worth Movement and ethnographic studies on motherhood and care work.

Early life and education

Blum completed her undergraduate education at Brandeis University, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree. She then pursued graduate studies in sociology at the University of California, Berkeley, a leading institution for critical social theory. Under the guidance of prominent scholars in the field, she earned her Doctor of Philosophy in 1987. Her doctoral dissertation, which analyzed the comparable worth movement, formed the foundation for her first major publication and established her research trajectory at the nexus of feminist activism and economic justice.

Academic career

Following her doctorate, Blum held a faculty position in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Northeastern University. She subsequently joined the faculty at the University of Michigan, where she held a joint appointment in the Department of Sociology and the Department of Women's and Gender Studies. At Michigan, she contributed significantly to the Institute for Research on Women and Gender and mentored numerous graduate students. Her teaching and administrative work helped advance interdisciplinary programs focused on social inequality, family policy, and feminist methodology across the University of Michigan system.

Research and scholarship

Blum's research is characterized by its deep engagement with feminist theory and qualitative methods to analyze the changing nature of work and care. Her first book, a seminal study of the comparable worth movement, explored the tensions between labor unions and feminist organizations in campaigning for pay equity. Later, her ethnographic work shifted focus to the cultural and class dimensions of motherhood, investigating topics such as breastfeeding advocacy, attachment parenting, and the experiences of working-class families. This scholarship critically interrogates how ideals of intensive mothering are shaped by neoliberalism, consumer culture, and racialized social policies in the United States.

Selected publications

* Between Feminism and Labor: The Significance of the Comparable Worth Movement (University of California Press, 1991). * At the Breast: Ideologies of Breastfeeding and Motherhood in the Contemporary United States (Beacon Press, 1999). * "Feminism and the Future of 'Care': Moral Codes, Motherhood, and Masculinity in the U.S." in the journal Feminist Studies. * "Mother-Blame in the Prozac Nation: Raising Kids with Invisible Disabilities" in the journal Gender & Society. * "The Politics of Paid Family Leave: Class, Feminism, and the Limits of Social Solidarity" in the journal Politics & Society.

Awards and honors

Blum's book Between Feminism and Labor received the Max Weber Award from the American Sociological Association's Section on Organizations, Occupations, and Work. Her article publications in leading journals like Gender & Society and Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society have been widely cited in the fields of sociology of gender and family studies. Her scholarly contributions have been recognized through fellowships and research support from institutions such as the National Endowment for the Humanities and the University of Michigan's Institute for the Humanities.

Category:American sociologists Category:American feminist writers Category:University of Michigan faculty Category:Brandeis University alumni Category:University of California, Berkeley alumni