Andréa Becker, PhD

Andréa Becker is a postdoctoral research fellow at ANSIRH. Dr. Becker is a mixed-methods medical sociologist researching “contested medical practices,” or elements of medicine that are imbued with polarizing cultural meanings. As part of this agenda, Dr. Becker examines how inequality manifests at every stage of human reproduction—from contraception and sterilization, abortion and birth, to sexual experiences. Her forthcoming book Unchoosable: Hysterectomy, Gender, and Stratified Reproduction (NYU Press 2024) examines contemporary experiences with hysterectomy from a trans-inclusive reproductive justice framework. This work draws on 100 qualitative interviews with people who have had or are considering a hysterectomy to manage a chronic illness and/or as part of gender affirming care for trans and nonbinary individuals. Dr. Becker was awarded the American Sociological Association Roberta G. Simmons Outstanding Dissertation Award in Medical Sociology, the Society of Family Planning Emerging Scholars grant, as well as the American Sociological Association SKAT Hacker Mullins Graduate Student Paper Award. Her research has been published in several journals, including Social Science & Medicine, Gender & Society, Contraception, and Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters. Dr. Becker has also written extensively for mainstream media outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Nation, and Slate. She earned a BA in Sociology and Gender Studies from Wake Forest University, an MA in Sociology from Vanderbilt University, and a PhD from the CUNY Graduate Center where she was a National Science Foundation GRFP fellow.

For a full list of Dr. Becker's publications, awards, and presentations, click here.