Margaret Frye

Margaret Frye's research investigates the complex and often misaligned relationships between culture, ideas, and demographic patterns. Much of our shared culture is about what people do during key life junctures—finishing school, getting married, having a child, starting a career—but our beliefs, ideals, and expectations are imperfect reflections of these demographic regularities. Frye uses a diverse set of both qualitative and quantitative methods to investigate these questions. Her research is primarily located in sub-Saharan Africa, and she recently completed a longitudinal data collection project in Kampala, Uganda, examining changing understandings of status resulting from Uganda’s simultaneous expansion of university education and contraction of formal employment opportunities.