Research

Publications and current projects. For a complete list, see my CV.

Publications

* Equal Authorship; ^ Graduate Student Coauthor

• Lee, Heeyoung*^, Jungmin Shin*, and Jonathan Dirlam. 2026. “The Influence of Structural Sexism and the #MeToo Movement on Sexual Harassment Complaints in the United States” The Sociological Quarterly 1-22.
  Abstract

  While prior literature has examined individual and organizational factors to explain workplace sexual harassment, less attention has been given to structural determinants. This study examines the effect of structural factors on workplace sexual harassment charge rates. Using longitudinal fixed effects models (2005–2021) and state-level data from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), this study evaluates whether state-level structural sexism in both economic and non-economic sectors, respectively, are associated with sexual harassment charge rates. We also assess how the #MeToo movement has influenced sexual harassment charges for both male and female victims. Findings suggest that higher levels of economic structural sexism are associated with increased female sexual harassment charge rates. Furthermore, the effect of economic structural sexism is exacerbated after the #MeToo movement in 2017. The impact of non-economic structural sexism was not statistically significant. The pattern for male victims is less consistent and does not appear to be influenced by structural sexism. By examining both economic and non-economic structural sexism, this study goes beyond the individual-level analysis on sexual harassment and expands the understanding of structural influences on workplace sexual harassment charge rates.

• Gan, Kimberly*^, and Jungmin Shin*. 2025. “Do Immigrant Women Spend More Time on Unpaid Labor? Generational Differences by Race, Ethnicity, and Household Composition in Household Work within the United States.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 51(9):2336–56.
  Abstract

  Despite relative progress, it is an overt fact that women still take on the heavier burden of unpaid work in the household compared to men in the United States. Our study expands the horizons of previous studies by looking at women specifically and analyzes how women’s performance of unpaid labor differentiates based on various contexts such as generational status, household composition, race, and ethnicity. Using the pooled cross-sectional data from the 2011-2021 American Time Use Survey (ATUS), we test hypotheses derived from an absolute resources perspective and a structural perspective to examine migrant generational differences among married, cohabiting, and single women as well as investigate the intra-group differences of racial and ethnic groups. From our descriptive analysis and ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analyses, we find support for the structural perspective for housework, as the generational differences remain even after controlling for socioeconomic factors, but only for first-generation married women. However, socioeconomic factors account for the differences between cohabiting or single first-generation women, which is supported by the absolute resources perspective. Our intra-group analysis by racial and ethnic groups yielded similar findings but found that Hispanic and Asian first-generation women take on a larger proportion of housework, relative to later-generation women.

• Gubernskaya, Zoya, and Jungmin Shin. 2025. “Does Immigrant Health Advantage at Older Ages Endure Beyond the First Generation?” The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 80(9):gbaf117. (Selected as 2025 Editor's Choice Article)
  Abstract

  Objectives Guided by the theories of immigrant health and incorporation, this research explores the patterns of health disparities by immigrant generation and race/ethnicity at older ages. Specifically, we compare the health status of first (foreign-born), second (U.S.-born with two foreign-born parents), 2.5 (U.S.-born with one foreign-born parent), and third-plus (U.S.-born with two U.S.-born parents) generation older immigrants in the USA by broad racial/ethnic categories.

  Methods We use data from the 2010–2021 Current Population Survey and employ logistic regressions to model the probability of having functional limitations and poor/fair self-rated health (SRH) among non-institutionalized adults aged 50 and over in the USA (N = 675,877).

  Results All first-generation immigrants, regardless of race and ethnicity, and second-generation non-Hispanic White and Mexican older immigrants have a lower probability of having a functional limitation compared to their third-plus-generation counterparts of the same race/ethnicity. An immigrant health advantage is also present among 2.5-generation non-Hispanic White immigrants, but all racial and ethnic minority 2.5-generation older immigrants have similar or worse functional health than their third-plus-generation coethnic counterparts. The SRH disparities by immigrant generation vary significantly by race/ethnicity.

  Discussion The immigrant health advantage among second-generation older immigrants provides evidence that a health advantage could be transmitted intergenerationally and maintained over the life course. The racial/ethnic differences suggest that health-promoting influences of immigrant parents could be constrained by structural forces, racism, and discrimination.

Under Review & Working Drafts

• “Devaluation or Differential Values? The Effect of Occupational Segregation on Wages and Work Values” — with Jonathan Dirlam; under review for Industrial Relations.
  Abstract

  Despite initial decreases in occupational segregation by gender, progress has slowed in recent decades in the USA. This article investigates this persistence by testing compensating differential theory and devaluation theory. Using longitudinal fixed-effects models and data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Occupation Information Network (O*NET) from 2011 to 2019, the study evaluates how changes in the proportion of women in occupations affect wages and work values. Findings support devaluation theory, as occupational wages decline once women reach a statistical majority in an occupation. Results do not provide strong evidence for compensating differential values theory, which posits that men and women value different work benefits. Among six work values, only Relationships shows a negative linear association, with a marginally significant quadratic pattern. By examining both occupational wage and work values, this study sheds light on mechanisms that continue to perpetuate occupational gender segregation.

• “Who Benefits from Paid Leave? Effects of State-Level Paid Family Leave Policy on Unpaid Work” — with Kimberly Gan; Working draft.
  Abstract

  In the U.S., the access to paid family leave policy is a structural environment that only the individuals who live in certain states can enjoy. Prior studies focused on the people who do take the leave to estimate the effect of the policy. This study expands the scope of paid family leave policy research by investigating the effect of having the paid family leave policy to the broader audience. Using the American Time Use Survey 2011 – 2023, this study incorporates Krieger (2001)’s ecosocial perspective to evaluate the structural effect of state-level paid family leave policy on the hours of unpaid work. The results using the ordinary least square (OLS) regression analysis show that individuals who live in states with the paid family policy spend almost one more hour in childcare than their counterparts living in states with no such policy or at the time before the enactment of the policy. Each year since the enactment, the time the residents of the states with the policy spent on childcare increases but not by substantial amount. We found no evidence of the effect of having the paid family leave policy at the state-level on the hours of housework. This pattern indicates that the existence of paid family leave operates as a structural environment to influence the individuals’ time spent on certain types of unpaid work.

• “Beyond Educational Homogamy: Multiple Dimensions of Assortative Mating and Mother’s Employment in South Korea” — with Hyeona Park; Working draft.
  Abstract

  While South Korea has one of the highest rates of educational homogamy, married women’s employment rates remain comparatively low. Prior research on assortative mating has largely focused on educational and economic homogamy, often treating education as the primary dimension of socioeconomic similarity. However, educational attainment does not always translate into labor market outcomes, particularly in contexts characterized by strong motherhood penalties. This study examines how educational, economic, and occupational assortative mating patterns are associated with mothers’ employment trajectories following childbirth in South Korea. Using longitudinal data from the 1998–2024 Korea Labor and Income Panel Study, this study applies linear probability models with individual and year fixed effects to estimate changes in women’s employment probabilities from four years before childbirth to six years after childbirth. An additional exit analysis examines transitions from employment to non-employment immediately after childbirth among women employed prior to birth. Results show that across all three indicators, women’s employment probability declines at childbirth and partially recovers afterward. Differences by assortative mating pattern are limited for educational and occupational measures. In contrast, economic assortative mating patterns show significant differences at specific post-birth time points, and women in economic hypergamy exhibit higher probabilities of labor market exit immediately after childbirth. By incorporating educational, economic, and occupational assortative mating patterns simultaneously, this study provides a more comprehensive approach to understanding how multiple dimensions of socioeconomic status operate within households. The findings suggest that relative earnings within couples are more closely associated with mothers’ post-birth employment patterns than educational or occupational similarity, highlighting the importance of economic bargaining dynamics in shaping employment trajectories after childbirth.

Dissertation

• Occupational Segregation and Individual Outcomes in Work, Health, and Family
  Three-paper dissertation; Ph.D., University at Albany (expected 2027)