Faculty Biography: Karen Bradley

Professor
Sociology Department Chair
Western Washington University
Bellingham, WA 98225-9081
Arntzen Hall 514
Phone: (360) 650-3001
Fax: 360-650-7295
Karen.Bradley@wwu.edu

Dr. Bradley obtained her B.A. in English, along with a secondary teaching certification from Providence College. After teaching middle school, she worked as a university administrator for seven years and a program specialist for the State of Massachusetts, developing employee training programs for profit and non-profit organizations.

She received her M.A. in Higher Education Administration from Boston College, and M.A. and Ph.D. in sociology from Stanford University in 1994. Her research and her classes blend her interest in organizational processes, education, and gender.

Much of Dr. Bradley's research has examined women’s participation within higher education by field and by level of attainment within countries throughout the world. She is currently collaborating with Dr. John Richardson on a research project investigating the development of the field of educational psychology over time within the United States. Several Western students have worked as research assistants on these projects.

Recent Publications

Maria Charles and Karen Bradley. Forthcoming January 2009.  “Indulging our Gendered Selves? Sex Segregation by Field of Study in 44 Countries.” American Journal of Sociology.

Karen Bradley and John Richardson. Forthcoming 2009. “The Moral Career of Intelligence: Pedagogical Practices, and Educational Psychology.” Edited volume in honor of the work of Basil Bernstein. Peter Lang, publishers.

Bradley, Karen. 2006. “Cultural Coexistence: Gender Egalitarianism and Difference in Higher Education.” In David P. Baker and Alexander W. Wiseman, eds. The Impact of Comparative Education Research on Institutional Theory. International Perspectives on Education and Society Series. Elsevier Science Ltd., Oxford, UK.

Charles, Maria and Karen Bradley. 2006. “A Matter of Degrees: Female Underrepresentation in Computer Science Programs Cross-Nationally.” In Joanne McGrath Cohoon and Bill Aspray, eds. Women and Information Technology: Research on the Reasons for Underrepresentation. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Bradley, Karen and Maria Charles. 2004. “Uneven Inroads: Understanding Women’s Status in Higher Education.” Pp. 247-74 in Research in Sociology of Education. 14: 247-74.

Charles, Maria and Karen Bradley, 2002. "Equal but Separate? A Cross-National Study of Sex Segregation in Higher Education." American Sociological Review. 67(4): 573-599.

Bradley, Karen. 2001. "Gender Inequality in Education: International Comparisons." Pp. 295-300 in Education and Sociology, An Encyclopedia. Edited by David Levinson and Alan Sadovnik. Routledge/Falmer Publishing.

Bradley, Karen. 2000. "The Incorporation of Women into Higher Education: Paradoxical Outcomes?". Sociology of Education. 73(1): 1-18.

Bulcroft, Richard, Kris Bulcroft, Karen Bradley and Carl Simpson. 2000. "The Management and Production of Risk in Romantic Relationships: A Postmodern Paradox". Journal of Family History. 25(1): 62-91.