Modern US history; histories of women, gender, and feminism

Peggy teaches and writes on feminism, women's movements, and motherhood in American and European history. Her first book, WITHOUT CHILDREN: The Long History of Not Being a Mother (Seal Press, 2023), explores the history of non-motherhood in light of falling fertility and rising rates of childlessness today, in the US and globally. Her current research centers on the late 20th century revival of midwifery in the United States and the place birth has occupied in American religion, politics, and culture--and on Instagram. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, TIME Magazine, and she regularly appears on television, radio, podcasts, and at corporate events. Peggy received her Ph.D. in History from the University of California, Berkeley.

In addition to her teaching and writing, Peggy works with the Chair of Undergraduate Studies to oversee undergraduate advising, events, and curriculum in the Department of History.