Kim Parker is director of social trends research at Pew Research Center. She oversees research on emerging social and demographic trends, manages major survey projects, and writes and edits reports. Parker was previously the associate director of social and demographic trends research and the research director for the Center’s political unit. Prior to joining Pew Research Center, she worked as a research associate at the American Enterprise Institute. She holds a master’s degree in American government from Georgetown University and a bachelor’s degree from Trinity College. Parker is an author of studies on a variety of topics including gender and work, the changing American family, generational change, higher education, the Great Recession, the middle class, aging, military veterans and Asian Americans. Parker frequently discusses social and demographic trends with journalists and has been interviewed by broadcast outlets such as NPR, NBC, MSNBC and C-SPAN.
Public Has Mixed Views on the Modern American Family
Americans are more pessimistic than optimistic about the institution of marriage and the family. At the same time, the public is fairly accepting of diverse family arrangements, though some are seen as more acceptable than others.