Rae Lesser Blumberg

Rae Lesser Blumberg is the William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of Sociology at the University of Virginia. Much of her academic work involves her general theory of gender stratification and theory of gender and development. In both, women’s versus men’s relative economic power (defined as control of income and other assets) is posited as the key—but not sole—factor affecting gender equality and many other development-related outcomes. She has worked in virtually all sectors of development, in 48 countries since Peace Corps in Venezuela, with the World Bank, USAID, UNESCO, UNDP and other UN agencies, the African Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, various international nongovernmental organizations, and individual governments. She was president of the Sociology of Development Section of the American Sociological Association in 2014–2015. Her BS, MA, and PhD are from Northwestern University, and she is the author/coauthor of more than 100 publications, including eight books.