Sociologist Marta Tienda investigates racial, ethnic, and gender variations across different metrics of social inequality, such as poverty, welfare, education, and employment. She is perhaps best known for her contributions to our understanding of the U.S.’s Hispanic population, including coauthoring The Hispanic Population of the United States (1987), the first national comparison of the U.S.’s major nationality groups. Among Tienda’s other research interests are adolescent sociality, population diversification, and achievement differentials in higher education.
Tienda is the thirteenth president of the American Academy of Political and Social Science and has held this position since 2021.
Professional positions
- 1997–present: Professor (1997–1999) and Maurice P. During ’22 Professor (now emerita) in Demographic Studies (1999–present), Princeton University
- 1987–1997: Professor (1987–1994) and Ralph Lewis Professor (1994–1997) of sociology, University of Chicago
- 1976–1989: Assistant (1976–1980), associate (1980–1983), and full (1983–1989) professor of rural sociology, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Notable publications
- Adserà, Alícia, and Marta Tienda, eds. 2012. Migrant Youths and Children of Migrants in a Globalized World. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 643.
- Tienda, Marta, and Faith Mitchell, eds. 2006. Multiple Origins, Uncertain Destinies: Hispanics and the American Future. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
- Stier, Haya, and Marta Tienda. 2000. The Color of Opportunity: Pathways to Family, Welfare, and Work. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
- Bean, Frank D., and Marta Tienda. 1987. The Hispanic Population of the United States. New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation.
Degrees
- PhD, sociology, University of Texas at Austin
- MA, sociology, University of Texas at Austin
- BA, Spanish literature, Michigan State University
In The ANNALS
- Volume 696, July 2021: Investing in Latino Children and Youth (coedited with Lisa A. Gennetian)
- Volume 643, September 2012: Migrant Youths and Children of Migrants in a Globalized World (coedited with Alícia Adserà)
- Volume 627, January 2010: Beyond Admissions: Re-thinking College Opportunities and Outcomes (coedited with Mark C. Long)
- Volume 551, May 1997: “Underclass Neighborhoods in Temporal and Ecological Perspective (coauthored with Jeffrey D. Morenoff)
- Volume 501, January 1989: “Puerto Ricans and the Underclass Debate”
President’s Corner
- June 2025: Social Science (and the AAPSS) in Uncharted Waters
- December 2023: Finding Hope in Our Shared Humanity
- July 2023: Fomenting Polarization – Book Censorship in Public Education
- February 2023: Demography and Destiny
- October 2022: Back to School
- June 2022: Et tu, Congress? Finding Common Ground and Political Will
- February 2022: Will Changing Demography Alter Our Democracy?
- October 2021: Investments in Children Yield High Dividends
