She received her Ph.D. in Sociology from Ghent University, Belgium, and completed a NICHD F32 postdoctoral fellowship at the California Center for Population Research at the University of California, Los Angeles. As a social demographer her research examines the social and health consequences of social stratification for the family, with current work focusing on inequalities in the use of long-acting contraceptive methods (sterilization, and intrauterine devices and implants) in the United States. Her work has been published in Journal of Marriage and Family, Population Studies, Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, European Sociological Review, Fertility &amp; Sterility, International Migration Review, and Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.