She received her PhD in sociology from the University of Wisconsin and was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Population Studies Center at the University of Michigan. She also worked previously at the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Allendorf's research focuses on family, gender, and health. She investigates how and why family behaviors vary and change over time and how family behaviors shape well-being. Her articles have appeared in the American Journal of Sociology, Demography, and the Journal of Marriage and Family.