Amy Blackstone

Professor

5728 Fernald Hall Rm 201D
Orono, ME 04469

Phone: 207.581.2392
Email: amy.blackstone@maine.edu

 

Amy Blackstone Curriculum Vitae 

Education:
2003 Ph.D. Sociology, University of Minnesota. Advisors: Ronald Aminzade & Douglas Hartmann 

Dissertation: Racing for the Cure & Taking Back the Night: Constructing Gender, Politics, and Public Participation in Women’s Activist/Volunteer Work 

1994 B.A. Sociology (Minor: International Studies) Luther College. Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Thesis on fundraising in healthcare 

Employment:

2015- , Professor. Sociology, University of Maine. 

2017-2024, Joint appointment in Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, University of Maine. Director, Maine NEW Leadership 

2020-21, Chairperson, Sociology, University of Maine. 

2019-20, Acting Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Interdisciplinary Programs, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Maine. 

2015-2017, Cooperating Faculty Member. Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, University of Maine. 2014-2016, Director. ADVANCE Rising Tide Center, University of Maine. 

2011-2016, Chairperson. Sociology, University of Maine. 

2009-2015, Associate Professor. Sociology, University of Maine. 

2003-2009, Assistant Professor. Sociology, University of Maine. 

2000-03, Research Assistant. Sociology, University of Minnesota. Sexual harassment project with Professor Christopher Uggen. 

1997-02, Instructor & Teaching Assistant. Sociology, University of Minnesota. Sociology of Gender, Sociological Research Methods, Sociology of the Family, Introduction to Sociology, Senior Projects Seminar, Social Statistics, Principles of Social Organization. 

1997-98, Research Assistant. Sociology, University of Minnesota. Organizational philanthropy project with Professor Joseph Galaskiewicz. 

1997, Data Collection Coordinator. Wilder Research Center, St. Paul, MN 

1994-97, Program Associate & Program Manager. Drake Prometric, Bloomington, MN

Publications: 

*Denotes student co-author 

Books 

  1. Blackstone, Amy, with an Afterword by Lance Blackstone. 2019. Childfree By Choice: The Movement Redefining Family and Creating a New Age of Independence. New York: Dutton. 
  2. Blackstone, Amy. 2012, 2019, 2025 edition forthcoming. Social Research: Qualitative and Quantitative Methods. Nyack, NY: Flat World Knowledge. 

Articles and Chapters 

  1. Stahnke, Brittany, Morgan E. Cooley, and Amy Blackstone. 2024. “Life Dissatisfaction in an Older Childless Woman: A Single Case Study.” The Family Journal 32: 188-195. 
  2. Blackstone, Amy, Brittany Stahnke, and Amy Greenleaf. 2023. “Childfree Families.” In Families as They Really Are, 3rd edition, edited by Barbara and Virginia Rutter. New York: Norton. 
  3. McLaughlin, Heather, Christopher Uggen, and Amy Blackstone. 2023. “Sexual Harassment, Gender, and the Workplace.” in Gender-Based Crime: Learning Through Experts and Cases. San Diego: Cognella. 
  4. Stahnke, Brittany, Morgan E. Cooley, and Amy Blackstone. 2023. “A Systematic Review of Life Satisfaction Experiences Among Childfree Adults.” The Family Journal. 31: 60-68. 
  5. Stahnke, Brittany, Morgan E. Cooley, and Amy Blackstone. 2022. “’I’ve Lived My Life to the Fullest’: Life Satisfaction Among Childfree Older Women.” Journal of Feminist Family Therapy 34: 296-312. 
  6. Blackstone, Amy. 2021. “’Am I less of a woman because I don’t have kids?’ Gender Resistance and Reification Among the Childfree,” in The Truth about M(O)therhood edited by Helene A. Cummins, Julie Anne, Rodgers, and Judith Dunkelberger Wouk. Bradford, Ontario: Demeter Press. 
  7. Uggen, Christopher, Ráchael A. Powers, Heather McLaughlin, and Amy Blackstone. 2021. “Toward a Criminology of Sexual Harassment.” Annual Review of Criminology 4: 33-51. 
  8. Stahnke, Brittany*, Amy Blackstone, and Heather Howard. 2020. “Lived Experiences and Life Satisfaction of Childfree Women in Late Life,” The Family Journal 28: 159-167. 
  9. Hawthorne, Lauren, Shannon K. McCoy, Ellen Newell, Amy Blackstone, and Susan Gardner. 2018. The Role of Sex and Gender Identification in STEM Faculty’s Work Related Stress and Emotional Well-Being.” Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering 24: 325-337. 
  10. Blackstone, Amy and Susan Gardner. 2018. “Mobilization in Response to Workplace Harassment: Lessons from One University Setting.” Trends in Diversity 1(1): Article 4. 
  11. Blackstone, Amy, Heather McLaughlin, and Christopher Uggen. 2018. “Workplace Sexual Harassment” In “State of the Union: The Poverty and Inequality Report,” ed. Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality, special issue, Pathways Magazine. 
  12. McLaughlin, Heather, Christopher Uggen, and Amy Blackstone. 2017. “The Economic and Career Effects of Sexual Harassment on Working Women.” Gender & Society 31: 333-358. 
  1. Gardner, Susan and Amy Blackstone. 2017. “’If you deserve it you should do it’: Faculty Agency in Applying for Promotion to Professor.” Journal for the Study of Postsecondary and Tertiary Education 2: 59-75. 
  2. Blackstone, Amy and Mahala Stewart*. 2016. “’There’s more thinking to decide’: How the Childfree Decide Not to Parent.” The Family Journal 24: 296-303. 
  3. Blackstone, Amy and Amy Greenleaf*. 2015. “Childfree Families.” In Families as They Really Are, 2nd edition, edited by Barbara Risman and Virginia Rutter. New York: Norton. 
  4. Blackstone, Amy. 2014. “childless… or childfree?” Contexts. Fall issue: 68-70. 

          Reprinted in Reich, Jennifer A. 2021. The State of Families: Law, Policy, and the Meanings of Relationships. New York: Routledge. 

  1. Gardner, Susan, Amy Blackstone, Shannon McCoy, Daniela Veliz*, and Ellen Newell*. 2014. “The Effect of State Budget Cuts on the Department Climate.” Academe. Nov/Dec issue: 23-26. 
  2. Blackstone, Amy, Jason Houle*, and Christopher Uggen. 2014. “I didn’t recognize it as a bad experience until I was much older’: Age, Experience, and Workers’ Perceptions of Sexual Harassment.” Sociological Spectrum 34: 314-337. 
  3. Gardner, Susan K. and Amy Blackstone. 2014. “Confronting Faculty Incivility and Mobbing: An Organizational Culture Perspective,” in Disrupting the Culture of Silence: Women Navigating Hostility and Making Change in the Academy, edited by Kris De Welde and Andi Stepnick. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing. 
  4. Blackstone, Amy. 2014. “Doing Family without Having Kids.” Sociology Compass 8: 52-62. 
  5. Silka, Linda, Robert Glover, Karen Hutchins*, Laura Lindenfeld, Amy Blackstone, Catherine Elliott, Melissa Ladenheim, and Claire Sullivan. 2013. “Moving Beyond the Single Discipline: Building a Scholarship of Engagement that Permeates Higher Education.” Tamara – Journal of Critical Organization Inquiry 11: 41-52. 
  6. Gardner, Susan, and Amy Blackstone. 2013. “’Putting in your time’: Faculty Experiences in the Process of Promotion to Professor.” Innovative Higher Education 38: 411-425. 
  7. Blackstone, Amy and Mahala Stewart*. 2012. “Choosing to be Childfree: Research on the Decision not to Parent.” Sociology Compass 6: 718-727. 
  8. McLaughlin, Heather*, Christopher Uggen, and Amy Blackstone. 2012. “Sexual Harassment, Workplace Authority, and the Paradox of Power.” American Sociological Review. 77: 625-647. 
  9. Blackstone, Amy. 2012. “Harassment of Older Adults in the Workplace,” in Ageism and Mistreatment of Older Workers, edited by Patricia Brownell and James Kelly. London: Springer-Verlag. 

Featured in Korgen, Kathleen Odell, Jeffry Odell Korgen, and Viara Giraffe. 2016. Social Issues in the Workplace, 2nd edition. San Diego: Bridgepoint Education. 

  1. Houle, Jason*, Jeremy Staff, Christopher Uggen, Jeylan Mortimer, and Amy Blackstone. 2011. “The Impact of Sexual Harassment on Depressive Symptoms during the Early Occupational Career.” Society and Mental Health 1: 89-105. 
  1. Blackstone, Amy, Christopher Uggen, and Heather McLaughlin*. 2009. “Legal Consciousness and Responses to Sexual Harassment.” Law & Society Review 43: 631-668. 
  2. Swartz, Teresa, Amy Blackstone, Christopher Uggen, and Heather McLaughlin*. 2009. “Welfare and Citizenship: The Effects of Public Assistance on Civic Participation.” The Sociological Quarterly 50: 633-665. 
  3. Blackstone, Amy. 2009. “Doing Good, Being Good, and the Social Construction of Compassion.” Journal of Contemporary Ethnography 38: 85-116. 
  4. McLaughlin, Heather*, Christopher Uggen, and Amy Blackstone. 2008. “Social Class Differences in Workplace Harassment during the Transition to Adulthood.” New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development 119: 85-98. 
  5. Blackstone, Amy. 2007. “Finding Politics in the Silly and the Sacred: Anti-Rape Activism on Campus.” Sociological Spectrum 27: 151-163. 
  6. Uggen, Christopher and Amy Blackstone. 2004. “Sexual Harassment as a Gendered Expression of Power.” American Sociological Review 69: 64-92. 
  7. Blackstone, Amy. 2004. “Sociability, Work, and Gender.” Equal Opportunities International 23: 29-44. 
  8. Blackstone, Amy. 2004. “‘It’s just about being fair’: Activism and the Politics of Volunteering in the Breast Cancer Movement.” Gender & Society 18: 350-68. 

Book Reviews 

  1. Blackstone, Amy (Review of Smelser, Neil J. and John S. Reed). 2014. “Usable Social Science.” Contemporary Sociology 43: 863-865. 
  2. Blackstone, Amy (Review of King, Samantha). 2007. “Pink Ribbons, Inc.: Breast Cancer and the Politics of Philanthropy.” Mobilization: An International Journal 12: 210-211. 

Encyclopedia Entries 

  1. Blackstone, Amy. 2019. “Childless and Childfree,” in Macmillan Encyclopedia of Intimate and Family Relationships: An Interdisciplinary Approach, edited by James J. Ponzetti. Farmington Hills, MI: Macmillan Reference USA.
  2. Blackstone, Amy. 2009. “Sexual Harassment,” in Encyclopedia of Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, edited by John Levine and Michael Hogg. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Received 2011 Outstanding Reference Source Award from American Library Association 
  3. Blackstone, Amy. 2009. “Men’s Movement,” in Encyclopedia of Gender and Society, edited by Jodi O’Brien and Eve L. Shapiro. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. 
  4. Blackstone, Amy. 2009. “Sex vs. Gender Categorization,” in Encyclopedia of Gender and Society, edited by Jodi O’Brien and Eve L. Shapiro. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. 
  5. Blackstone, Amy and Heather McLaughlin*. 2009. “Hostile Work Environment,” Pp. 441-443 in Encyclopedia of Gender and Society, edited by Jodi O’Brien and Eve L. Shapiro. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. 
  1. Blackstone, Amy and Heather McLaughlin*. 2009. “Sexual Harassment,” Pp. 762-766 in Encyclopedia of Gender and Society, edited by Jodi O’Brien and Eve L. Shapiro. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. 
  2. Blackstone, Amy. 2003. “Gender Roles and Society.” In Human Ecology: An Encyclopedia of Children, Families, Communities, and Environments, edited by Julia R. Miller, Richard M. Lerner, and Lawrence B. Schiamberg. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-Clio. 

Teaching Materials 

  1. Lucal, Betsy and Amy Blackstone, editors. 2007. “The Sociology of Gender: Syllabi and Other Instructional Materials, 6th edition.” Washington, DC: American Sociological Association. 
  2. Blackstone, Amy. 2007. “Gender in the News Assignment.” In “The Sociology of Gender: Syllabi and Other Instructional Materials, 6th edition,” edited by Betsy Lucal and Amy Blackstone. Washington, DC: American Sociological Association. 
  3. Blackstone, Amy, and Betsy Lucal, editors. 2002. “The Sociology of Gender: Syllabi and Other Instructional Materials, 5th edition.” Washington, DC: American Sociological Association. 

PUBLIC SOCIOLOGY & OTHER COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 

SELECTED WRITING (since 2019; complete list available on request) 

“Long COVID is often misunderstood and misdiagnosed,” Bangor Daily News, January 24, 2023 “Child Free and Saving the Planet,” Loupe Magazine, Issue 13 – Sustainability, Fall 2022 “What Population Crisis?” Childfree Magazine, Issue 2, August 2021 

“Choosing to Be Childfree,” Cognoscenti, October 4, 2019 

“Sexual Harassment in Academia and Beyond: Causes, Consequences, and Change,” Footnotes, September/October Issue, 2019 

“Childfree people aren’t necessarily anti-natalists – and the differences are significant,” with Therese Shechter, Salon, September 25, 2019 

“Boston’s ‘Straight Pride’ Parade Showed Us Where Nationalism and Fertility Panic Collide,” Ms., September 16, 2019 

“I Chose Not to Have Kids. That Doesn’t Mean I Hate Them,” TIME, July 22, 2019 

“More Children Won’t Make America Great – But Feminist Policies Supporting Families Will,” Ms., July 17, 2019 

“Why I’m Childfree, Not Childless,” Grazia Magazine, July 16, 2019 

“Maine leads on reproductive freedom,” Bangor Daily News, June 18, 2019 

“Grow Old Like the ‘Golden Girls,’” New York Times, June 7, 2019 

“What Choice Means to Childfree Women,” with Maxine Trump, Ms., January 22, 2019

SELECTED MEDIA INTERVIEWS AND MENTIONS (since 2019; complete list available on request) The Jim Toth Show, live radio interview on childfree choice, September 12, 2024 “No Kids, No Regrets: Is Choosing to Be Childfree Selfish?” Dr. Phil Primetime, August 5, 2024 

The News on Merit Street, primetime live interview on childfree choice with anchor Kris Guiterrez, August 5, 2024 

“JD Vance Comments on Childless Americans Spark Outrage,” San Francisco Public Radio KQED’s Forum, August 1, 2024 

ABC7 News Live San Francisco, live interview on childfree choice with anchor Kristen Sze, August 1, 2024 

“More Americans are choosing not to have kids, but why? Here’s what a survey found,” Scripps News Live, July 30, 2024 

“She didn’t want to have children. Turns out she was far from alone.” Bangor Daily News, July 29, 2024 

“South Korean sexism birthed the 4B movement. Is this boycott of men and childbirth heading West?” The Midst, June 11, 2024 

“Friends Beg Mom of 3 To Get Help After She Claims Her Kids Are Not Her Greatest Accomplishment,” Bored Panda, June 10, 2024 

“The MotherLOAD,” Just So You Know (Parody News), May 28, 2024 

“Long COVID can make work challenging. Accommodations can make a difference.” NPR’s Marketplace, May 22, 2024 

Scripps NewsLine, primetime show episode on childfree choice with anchor Lauren Magarino, May 9, 2024 

TODAY Show, story on DINKs (Dual Income, No Kids), April 13, 2024 

“Why Some Women Are Proudly Choosing a Child-Free Life,” Women’s Health Magazine, April 3, 2024 

“Fewer people are having kids. But what led them to make that choice?” Seattle Public Radio KUOW’s Soundside, April 1, 2024 

“We cannot imagine a good life without children,” Politiken, March 30, 2024 

“It’s Not Just You: No One Can Afford Kids Anymore,” The Financial Diet, March 26, 2024 “For those who choose not to have kids, benefits and backlash,” Boston Globe, March 26, 2024 

“11 Y.O. Wonders If Childfree Godmother Who Adopted Her After Parents Died Will End Up Hating Her,” Bored Panda, March 21, 2024 

“Woman Banned From Seeing Nephew After Her Creepy ‘Joke’ Raises Red Flags,” Bored Panda, March 7, 2024 

Scripps News Live with Lauren Magarino and Carolyn Bruck, story on declining fertility rates, February 27, 2024 6

“They earn nearly $200,000. Can they afford to have kids in SoCal?” Los Angeles Times, February 14, 2024 

“The sweet, sweet life of America’s DINKS,” Business Insider, February 7, 2024 “How to Live with Uncertainty,” Philadelphia Public Radio WHYY’s The Pulse, January 12, 2024 “What Happens If Your Partner Wants Children But You Don’t?” Bored Panda, January 2, 2024 

“6 Things You Should Never Say to Someone Without Kids (But People Do Anyway),” Huffington Post, September 29, 2023 

Going Through It, podcast by Pineapple Street Studios, 2023 series on parenting decisions “Why Are More Women Choosing Not To Have Kids?” WNYC All of It, February 22, 2023 

“Childless by choice: Some Mainers intentionally opting out of parenthood,” WGME CBS 13 News, Portland, February 13, 2023 (follow-up chat on WGME Facebook live following story airing) 

“Americans Are Having Fewer Children. Is That a Problem?” NBClx, January 4, 2023 “Fertility rates declining,” The Why, November 4, 2022 

“Their existence sapped mine’: Why more women are speaking about maternal regret,” Stuff.nz, June 5, 2022 

“Child-free by choice: Why more people are deciding not to have children,” MPR News with Angela Davis, January 22, 2022 

November 8, 2021, “Why We Need A Better Understanding Of Women Who Choose Not To Have Children” SHESEZ Podcast, October 19, 2021 

“Why more women are deciding not to have kids,” CNN, August 14, 2021 

“Childless people are not incapable of loving others,” Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin, July 30, 2021 “U.S. Birthrate Drops To Lowest Level In Four Decades,” NPR Weekend Edition, May 9, 2021 “Making sense of the baby bust,” Politico, May 7, 2021 

“Have You Decided Not to Be a Mother?” The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC, May 6, 2021 “Experiencing Mother’s Day,” KCUR NPR in Kansas City, May 3, 2021 

“50 Times Childfree People Had Something Sassy To Say, And Posted About It In This Online Group,” Bored Panda, April 29, 2021 

“What to Say When Someone Asks Why You Don’t Have Kids,” Lifehacker, April 3, 2021 

“Why having kids doesn’t necessarily make you happier, according to research,” CNBC Make It, March 17, 2021 

“50 Times People With No Kids Had Something Sassy To Say,” Bored Panda, December 30, 2020 

“My GP Dismissed My Endometriosis Pain Because I Don’t Want A Baby Yet,” Refinery29, November 16, 2020 

“How the Pandemic Could Shape Conversations About Choosing to Remain Childfree,” The Takeaway, August 10, 2020 

“Child-Free by Choice,” Echo, August 9, 2020 

“What is Love?” The Maine Edge, February 11, 2020 

“Choosing to Be Childfree,” Experience Life, January/February issue, 2020 

“No Kidding: The Childfree Movement Hits Close to Home,” Endless Thread, December 6, 2019 

“What does choosing to be child-free mean for individuals and our society?” The Maine Question, November 21, 2019 

“Are You KIDding Me?” Teddi Tea Pod with Teddi Mellencamp, November 19, 2019 “What Happens If Your Partner Wants Children But You Don’t?” Refinery29, November 1, 2019 “Is Your Business Discriminating Against Child-Free Women?” the Riveter, October 2019 “Childfree Confessions,” SuperShe, September 2019 

Interview with Brook Minner of Bookworm, WERU, September 11, 2019 

“The child-free couples who treat their pets like children,” BBC, September 2, 2019 “Will not having children help save the planet?” Al Jazeera English’s The Stream, August 8, 2019 “There’s Nothing Wrong With Choosing to Be Childfree,” Fatherly, July 25, 2019 Interview on The Larry Meiller Show, Wisconsin Public Radio, July 16, 2019 

Interview with John Warnett of BBC Radio Kent on childfree choice, July 8, 2019 

Interview on Downtown with Rich Kimball on childfree choice, WZON AM620, Bangor, Maine, July 3, 2019 

“No, they’re not selfish: UMaine professor’s new book busts myths about adults who choose not to be parents,” Bangor Daily News, June 20, 2019 

“Choosing to be childfree, and respecting family choices,” Press Play with Madeline Brand, June 13, 2019 

“Why aren’t millennials having more kids? 8 insights into the child-free life,” TODAY, June 10, 2019 

“Are child-free, single women really happier? An author’s claim sparks debate,” Good Morning America, June 10, 2019 

“Mixing it up with Margaret,” Maine Women Magazine, April 30, 2019 

“Recipes for success,” UMaine Today, Spring/Summer 2019 

“Joe Biden’s non-apology to Anita Hill casts long shadow over 2020 run,” The Guardian, April 27, 2019 

“The Biden allegations are a reminder of the small invasions women deal with every day,” Vox, April 4, 2019 

“’Why don’t you want kids?’ ‘Because apocalypse!’,” WIRED, March 28, 2019 “Why don’t you have kids” Episode 6 of Inappropriate Questions podcast, March 12, 2019 

“’We Do Not Want Children’: Travel in the Childfree World,” The States General (Milan, Italy), February 7, 2019 

COMMUNITY PRESENTATIONS 

April 11, 2024, Q&A with The Financial Diet book club on The Childfree Choice 

September 16, 2021, Not Every Woman, a panel on and of childfree women, Population Media Center’s 2nd Annual No Footprint Event, online event 

March 11, 2020, Childfree by Choice, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 

January 21, 2020, Maine NEW Leadership, Bangor Rotary Club, Bangor, ME December 12, 2019, Childfree by Choice, Bangor Public Library, Bangor, ME 

September 27, 2019, Childfree by Choice, Luther College, Decorah, IA 

April 2018, The Media and #MeToo, University of Maine, Orono, ME 

November 2017, #MeToo: A Panel Discussion, University of Maine, Orono, ME 

October 2017, Panel facilitator and discussant for NotMoms from Around the World, NotMom Summit, Cleveland, OH 

March 2017, You’ll Die Alone! And Other Myths of the Childfree, Maine Science Festival, Bangor, ME October 2015, Opening presentation Who Are the NotMoms?, NotMom Summit, Cleveland, OH 

April 2012, The Roller Derby of Queen City: “It’s more than a game, it’s a lifestyle,” Amy Blackstone with members of Bangor Roller Derby, Women in the Curriculum Lunch Series, University of Maine 

June 2010, Workplace Harassment: Conceptualizations & Experiences of Older Workers in Maine, Presentation to the Maine Jobs Council, Augusta, ME 

March 2008, Oh Baby, Baby! How the Media Teaches Us to be Men & Women, Panel participant in campus film series, University of Maine 

April 2006, Invited speaker, Take Back the Night, University of Maine 

OTHER ENGAGEMENT AND PUBLIC SERVICE 

2018-, Population Media Center Advisory Board 

2020-23, Olympia Snowe Women’s Leadership Institute Advisor, Bangor High School, Maine 2019-23, Advisory Board for Documentary Film My So-Called Selfish Life by Therese Shechter 2021-22, Advisory Board, Sweetgrass Consulting, Eastport, Maine 

2017-21, Advisory Board for Documentary Film To Kid or Not to Kid by Maxine Trump 2016-19, NotMom Summit Advisory Board 

2013-19, Selection Panel for International Childfree Man/Woman of the Year 2018, Legal Consultation for Attorney Judith Conte (sexual harassment case) 2017-20, Maine Career Connect, Volunteer Connector, Bangor, Maine 

2016-18, Mabel Wadsworth Center Development Committee, Bangor, Maine

2017-18, Commission on Cultural Development, Bangor, Maine 

2017, American Folk Festival Board of Directors, Bangor, Maine 

2016, Maine Career Connect Advisory Council, Bangor, Maine 

Summer 2014, Advise DJ Mark Kelley on survey developed for audience research, WZON radio, Bangor, Maine 

2014, Sociologists for Women in Society Feminist Activist Lecturer Visit Award, lead application author on behalf of UMaine Sociology Department in collaboration with Mabel Wadsworth Women’s Health Center and NSF ADVANCE Rising Tide Center 

2013, Strategic Planning Facilitation, Central Maine Derby, Bangor, Maine 

Spring 2013, Advise Bangor City Councilor Ben Sprague on survey of area residents, Bangor, Maine 

2011-12, Co-advisor to Graduate Assistant on Orono Village Association Marketing Plan Implementation with Laura Lindenfeld and Linda Silka 

2005, Legal consultation for Pitt, Dowty, McGehee, Mirer, & Palmer, P.C. (sexual harassment case) 2005, Grant Proposal Reviewer, Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Orono, Maine 

FUNDED GRANTS & GIFTS 

External (PI and other involvement) 

2019, Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust grant, Maine NEW Leadership, $10,000 

2019, Unum Charitable Giving Fund, Maine NEW Leadership, $3,000 

2018, Sociologists for Women in Society Social Action Award for Maine NEW Leadership, $1,000 

2018, Co-PI with Mary Cathcart on Margaret E. Burnham Charitable Trust, Maine NEW Leadership, $3,000 

2018, Co-PI with Mary Cathcart on Weyerhaeuser Giving Fund, Maine NEW Leadership, $4,500 

2018, Co-PI with Mary Cathcart on Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust grant, Maine NEW Leadership, $10,000 

2010-16, Social Science Research Group member on National Science Foundation ADVANCE grant, University of Maine, $3.3 million (PI Jeff Hecker; Co-PIs Amy Fried, Susan Gardner, Eleanor Groden, and Karen Horton) 

2008-10, Principal Investigator on National Science Foundation Grant, Workplace Harassment: Conceptualizations of Older Workers, $125,042 

2008, Grant for Outstanding Proposal from a Feminist Perspective, Childfree as Gender Transgression, National Council on Family Relations Feminism and Family Studies Section, $1,100 

Internal (PI and other involvement) 

2013, ADVANCE Rising Tide Department Climate Award, University of Maine, $6,518 (Co-PI with Kimberly Huisman) 

2012, ADVANCE Rising Tide Professional Development Grant, University of Maine, $6,071

Teaching Materials 

  1. Lucal, Betsy and Amy Blackstone, editors. 2007. “The Sociology of Gender: Syllabi and Other Instructional Materials, 6th edition.” Washington, DC: American Sociological Association. 
  2. Blackstone, Amy. 2007. “Gender in the News Assignment.” In “The Sociology of Gender: Syllabi and Other Instructional Materials, 6th edition,” edited by Betsy Lucal and Amy Blackstone. Washington, DC: American Sociological Association. 
  3. Blackstone, Amy, and Betsy Lucal, editors. 2002. “The Sociology of Gender: Syllabi and Other Instructional Materials, 5th edition.” Washington, DC: American Sociological Association. 

PUBLIC SOCIOLOGY & OTHER COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 

SELECTED WRITING (since 2019; complete list available on request) 

“Long COVID is often misunderstood and misdiagnosed,” Bangor Daily News, January 24, 2023 “Child Free and Saving the Planet,” Loupe Magazine, Issue 13 – Sustainability, Fall 2022 “What Population Crisis?” Childfree Magazine, Issue 2, August 2021 

“Choosing to Be Childfree,” Cognoscenti, October 4, 2019 

“Sexual Harassment in Academia and Beyond: Causes, Consequences, and Change,” Footnotes, September/October Issue, 2019 

“Childfree people aren’t necessarily anti-natalists – and the differences are significant,” with Therese Shechter, Salon, September 25, 2019 

“Boston’s ‘Straight Pride’ Parade Showed Us Where Nationalism and Fertility Panic Collide,” Ms., September 16, 2019 

“I Chose Not to Have Kids. That Doesn’t Mean I Hate Them,” TIME, July 22, 2019 

“More Children Won’t Make America Great – But Feminist Policies Supporting Families Will,” Ms., July 17, 2019 

“Why I’m Childfree, Not Childless,” Grazia Magazine, July 16, 2019 

“Maine leads on reproductive freedom,” Bangor Daily News, June 18, 2019 

“Grow Old Like the ‘Golden Girls,’” New York Times, June 7, 2019 

“What Choice Means to Childfree Women,” with Maxine Trump, Ms., January 22, 2019

SELECTED MEDIA INTERVIEWS AND MENTIONS (since 2019; complete list available on request) The Jim Toth Show, live radio interview on childfree choice, September 12, 2024 “No Kids, No Regrets: Is Choosing to Be Childfree Selfish?” Dr. Phil Primetime, August 5, 2024 

The News on Merit Street, primetime live interview on childfree choice with anchor Kris Guiterrez, August 5, 2024 

“JD Vance Comments on Childless Americans Spark Outrage,” San Francisco Public Radio KQED’s Forum, August 1, 2024 

ABC7 News Live San Francisco, live interview on childfree choice with anchor Kristen Sze, August 1, 2024 

“More Americans are choosing not to have kids, but why? Here’s what a survey found,” Scripps News Live, July 30, 2024 

“She didn’t want to have children. Turns out she was far from alone.” Bangor Daily News, July 29, 2024 

“South Korean sexism birthed the 4B movement. Is this boycott of men and childbirth heading West?” The Midst, June 11, 2024 

“Friends Beg Mom of 3 To Get Help After She Claims Her Kids Are Not Her Greatest Accomplishment,” Bored Panda, June 10, 2024 

“The MotherLOAD,” Just So You Know (Parody News), May 28, 2024 

“Long COVID can make work challenging. Accommodations can make a difference.” NPR’s Marketplace, May 22, 2024 

Scripps NewsLine, primetime show episode on childfree choice with anchor Lauren Magarino, May 9, 2024 

TODAY Show, story on DINKs (Dual Income, No Kids), April 13, 2024 

“Why Some Women Are Proudly Choosing a Child-Free Life,” Women’s Health Magazine, April 3, 2024 

“Fewer people are having kids. But what led them to make that choice?” Seattle Public Radio KUOW’s Soundside, April 1, 2024 

“We cannot imagine a good life without children,” Politiken, March 30, 2024 

“It’s Not Just You: No One Can Afford Kids Anymore,” The Financial Diet, March 26, 2024 “For those who choose not to have kids, benefits and backlash,” Boston Globe, March 26, 2024 

“11 Y.O. Wonders If Childfree Godmother Who Adopted Her After Parents Died Will End Up Hating Her,” Bored Panda, March 21, 2024 

“Woman Banned From Seeing Nephew After Her Creepy ‘Joke’ Raises Red Flags,” Bored Panda, March 7, 2024 

Scripps News Live with Lauren Magarino and Carolyn Bruck, story on declining fertility rates, February 27, 2024 

 

“They earn nearly $200,000. Can they afford to have kids in SoCal?” Los Angeles Times, February 14, 2024 

“The sweet, sweet life of America’s DINKS,” Business Insider, February 7, 2024 “How to Live with Uncertainty,” Philadelphia Public Radio WHYY’s The Pulse, January 12, 2024 “What Happens If Your Partner Wants Children But You Don’t?” Bored Panda, January 2, 2024 

“6 Things You Should Never Say to Someone Without Kids (But People Do Anyway),” Huffington Post, September 29, 2023 

Going Through It, podcast by Pineapple Street Studios, 2023 series on parenting decisions “Why Are More Women Choosing Not To Have Kids?” WNYC All of It, February 22, 2023 

“Childless by choice: Some Mainers intentionally opting out of parenthood,” WGME CBS 13 News, Portland, February 13, 2023 (follow-up chat on WGME Facebook live following story airing) 

“Americans Are Having Fewer Children. Is That a Problem?” NBClx, January 4, 2023 “Fertility rates declining,” The Why, November 4, 2022 

“Their existence sapped mine’: Why more women are speaking about maternal regret,” Stuff.nz, June 5, 2022 

“Child-free by choice: Why more people are deciding not to have children,” MPR News with Angela Davis, January 22, 2022 

November 8, 2021, “Why We Need A Better Understanding Of Women Who Choose Not To Have Children” SHESEZ Podcast, October 19, 2021 

“Why more women are deciding not to have kids,” CNN, August 14, 2021 

“Childless people are not incapable of loving others,” Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin, July 30, 2021 “U.S. Birthrate Drops To Lowest Level In Four Decades,” NPR Weekend Edition, May 9, 2021 “Making sense of the baby bust,” Politico, May 7, 2021 

“Have You Decided Not to Be a Mother?” The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC, May 6, 2021 “Experiencing Mother’s Day,” KCUR NPR in Kansas City, May 3, 2021 

“50 Times Childfree People Had Something Sassy To Say, And Posted About It In This Online Group,” Bored Panda, April 29, 2021 

“What to Say When Someone Asks Why You Don’t Have Kids,” Lifehacker, April 3, 2021 

“Why having kids doesn’t necessarily make you happier, according to research,” CNBC Make It, March 17, 2021 

“50 Times People With No Kids Had Something Sassy To Say,” Bored Panda, December 30, 2020 

“My GP Dismissed My Endometriosis Pain Because I Don’t Want A Baby Yet,” Refinery29, November 16, 2020 

“How the Pandemic Could Shape Conversations About Choosing to Remain Childfree,” The Takeaway, August 10, 2020 

“Child-Free by Choice,” Echo, August 9, 2020 

“What is Love?” The Maine Edge, February 11, 2020 

“Choosing to Be Childfree,” Experience Life, January/February issue, 2020 

“No Kidding: The Childfree Movement Hits Close to Home,” Endless Thread, December 6, 2019 

“What does choosing to be child-free mean for individuals and our society?” The Maine Question, November 21, 2019 

“Are You KIDding Me?” Teddi Tea Pod with Teddi Mellencamp, November 19, 2019 “What Happens If Your Partner Wants Children But You Don’t?” Refinery29, November 1, 2019 “Is Your Business Discriminating Against Child-Free Women?” the Riveter, October 2019 “Childfree Confessions,” SuperShe, September 2019 

Interview with Brook Minner of Bookworm, WERU, September 11, 2019 

“The child-free couples who treat their pets like children,” BBC, September 2, 2019 “Will not having children help save the planet?” Al Jazeera English’s The Stream, August 8, 2019 “There’s Nothing Wrong With Choosing to Be Childfree,” Fatherly, July 25, 2019 Interview on The Larry Meiller Show, Wisconsin Public Radio, July 16, 2019 

Interview with John Warnett of BBC Radio Kent on childfree choice, July 8, 2019 

Interview on Downtown with Rich Kimball on childfree choice, WZON AM620, Bangor, Maine, July 3, 2019 

“No, they’re not selfish: UMaine professor’s new book busts myths about adults who choose not to be parents,” Bangor Daily News, June 20, 2019 

“Choosing to be childfree, and respecting family choices,” Press Play with Madeline Brand, June 13, 2019 

“Why aren’t millennials having more kids? 8 insights into the child-free life,” TODAY, June 10, 2019 

“Are child-free, single women really happier? An author’s claim sparks debate,” Good Morning America, June 10, 2019 

“Mixing it up with Margaret,” Maine Women Magazine, April 30, 2019 

“Recipes for success,” UMaine Today, Spring/Summer 2019 

“Joe Biden’s non-apology to Anita Hill casts long shadow over 2020 run,” The Guardian, April 27, 2019 

“The Biden allegations are a reminder of the small invasions women deal with every day,” Vox, April 4, 2019 

“’Why don’t you want kids?’ ‘Because apocalypse!’,” WIRED, March 28, 2019 “Why don’t you have kids” Episode 6 of Inappropriate Questions podcast, March 12, 2019 

“’We Do Not Want Children’: Travel in the Childfree World,” The States General (Milan, Italy), February 7, 2019 

 

COMMUNITY PRESENTATIONS 

April 11, 2024, Q&A with The Financial Diet book club on The Childfree Choice 

September 16, 2021, Not Every Woman, a panel on and of childfree women, Population Media Center’s 2nd Annual No Footprint Event, online event 

March 11, 2020, Childfree by Choice, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 

January 21, 2020, Maine NEW Leadership, Bangor Rotary Club, Bangor, ME December 12, 2019, Childfree by Choice, Bangor Public Library, Bangor, ME 

September 27, 2019, Childfree by Choice, Luther College, Decorah, IA 

April 2018, The Media and #MeToo, University of Maine, Orono, ME 

November 2017, #MeToo: A Panel Discussion, University of Maine, Orono, ME 

October 2017, Panel facilitator and discussant for NotMoms from Around the World, NotMom Summit, Cleveland, OH 

March 2017, You’ll Die Alone! And Other Myths of the Childfree, Maine Science Festival, Bangor, ME October 2015, Opening presentation Who Are the NotMoms?, NotMom Summit, Cleveland, OH 

April 2012, The Roller Derby of Queen City: “It’s more than a game, it’s a lifestyle,” Amy Blackstone with members of Bangor Roller Derby, Women in the Curriculum Lunch Series, University of Maine 

June 2010, Workplace Harassment: Conceptualizations & Experiences of Older Workers in Maine, Presentation to the Maine Jobs Council, Augusta, ME 

March 2008, Oh Baby, Baby! How the Media Teaches Us to be Men & Women, Panel participant in campus film series, University of Maine 

April 2006, Invited speaker, Take Back the Night, University of Maine 

OTHER ENGAGEMENT AND PUBLIC SERVICE 

2018-, Population Media Center Advisory Board 

2020-23, Olympia Snowe Women’s Leadership Institute Advisor, Bangor High School, Maine 2019-23, Advisory Board for Documentary Film My So-Called Selfish Life by Therese Shechter 2021-22, Advisory Board, Sweetgrass Consulting, Eastport, Maine 

2017-21, Advisory Board for Documentary Film To Kid or Not to Kid by Maxine Trump 2016-19, NotMom Summit Advisory Board 

2013-19, Selection Panel for International Childfree Man/Woman of the Year 2018, Legal Consultation for Attorney Judith Conte (sexual harassment case) 2017-20, Maine Career Connect, Volunteer Connector, Bangor, Maine 

2016-18, Mabel Wadsworth Center Development Committee, Bangor, Maine

2017-18, Commission on Cultural Development, Bangor, Maine 

2017, American Folk Festival Board of Directors, Bangor, Maine 

2016, Maine Career Connect Advisory Council, Bangor, Maine 

Summer 2014, Advise DJ Mark Kelley on survey developed for audience research, WZON radio, Bangor, Maine 

2014, Sociologists for Women in Society Feminist Activist Lecturer Visit Award, lead application author on behalf of UMaine Sociology Department in collaboration with Mabel Wadsworth Women’s Health Center and NSF ADVANCE Rising Tide Center 

2013, Strategic Planning Facilitation, Central Maine Derby, Bangor, Maine 

Spring 2013, Advise Bangor City Councilor Ben Sprague on survey of area residents, Bangor, Maine 

2011-12, Co-advisor to Graduate Assistant on Orono Village Association Marketing Plan Implementation with Laura Lindenfeld and Linda Silka 

2005, Legal consultation for Pitt, Dowty, McGehee, Mirer, & Palmer, P.C. (sexual harassment case) 2005, Grant Proposal Reviewer, Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Orono, Maine 

FUNDED GRANTS & GIFTS 

External (PI and other involvement) 

2019, Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust grant, Maine NEW Leadership, $10,000 

2019, Unum Charitable Giving Fund, Maine NEW Leadership, $3,000 

2018, Sociologists for Women in Society Social Action Award for Maine NEW Leadership, $1,000 

2018, Co-PI with Mary Cathcart on Margaret E. Burnham Charitable Trust, Maine NEW Leadership, $3,000 

2018, Co-PI with Mary Cathcart on Weyerhaeuser Giving Fund, Maine NEW Leadership, $4,500 

2018, Co-PI with Mary Cathcart on Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust grant, Maine NEW Leadership, $10,000 

2010-16, Social Science Research Group member on National Science Foundation ADVANCE grant, University of Maine, $3.3 million (PI Jeff Hecker; Co-PIs Amy Fried, Susan Gardner, Eleanor Groden, and Karen Horton) 

2008-10, Principal Investigator on National Science Foundation Grant, Workplace Harassment: Conceptualizations of Older Workers, $125,042 

2008, Grant for Outstanding Proposal from a Feminist Perspective, Childfree as Gender Transgression, National Council on Family Relations Feminism and Family Studies Section, $1,100 

Internal (PI and other involvement) 

2013, ADVANCE Rising Tide Department Climate Award, University of Maine, $6,518 (Co-PI with Kimberly Huisman) 

2012, ADVANCE Rising Tide Professional Development Grant, University of Maine, $6,071 10

2011, Center for Excellence in Teaching and Assessment Grant, Community Engaged Research, Teaching, and Scholarship Learning Circle (with Laura Lindenfeld, Linda Silka, and Robert Glover), University of Maine, $1,750 

2010, Online Course Grant from Continuing Education Division and Summer Session, Sociology of Families, University of Maine, $1,500 

2008, Summer Faculty Research Funds Grant, Childfree Status as Gender Transgression, University of Maine, $7,500 

2008, Online Course Grant from Continuing Education Division and Summer Session, Sociology of Gender, University of Maine, $1500 

2006, Women in the Curriculum Grant, A Comparative Investigation of Workplace Sexual Harassment Over the Life Cycle, University of Maine, $3,000 

2004, Summer Faculty Research Funds Grant, Sexual Harassment and Legal Consciousness in the Transition to Adulthood, University of Maine, $7,500 

2002, Graduate Research Partnership Grant with Christopher Uggen, Sexual Harassment in Adolescence and Adulthood, University of Minnesota, $7,951 

Other Honors/Awards:

2020, Excellence in Faculty Mentoring Award, University of Maine Rising Tide Center 2019, Sociologists for Women in Society Feminist Activism Award 

2014-15, Blue Sky Faculty Fellows Leadership Program, University of Maine 

2011, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Outstanding Faculty Award in the area of teaching/advising, University of Maine, $1,000 

2008, Alumnus of Notable Achievement, College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota (approximately 1% of college’s graduates selected) 

2008, Junior Faculty Fellowship, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Maine 

2003, Don Martindale Award for Excellence in Graduate Scholarship and Achievement, Department of Sociology, University of Minnesota, $1,000 

2002, Sociologists for Women in Society’s Barbara Rosenblum Scholarship for the Study of Women and Cancer, Honorable Mention, $200 

2001, Award for Outstanding Service, Department of Sociology, University of Minnesota, $100 

2000, Anna Welsch Bright Memorial Research Award for Dissertation Improvement, Department of Sociology, University of Minnesota, $4,215 

2000-01, Academic Year Fellowship for Advanced Norwegian Training, Foreign Language Area Studies Program, $11,000 plus Tuition 

1999-00, Academic Year Fellowship for Intermediate Norwegian Training, Foreign Language Area Studies Program, $10,000 plus Tuition 

1999, Summer Fellowship for Beginning Norwegian Training, Foreign Language Area Studies Program, $2,400 plus Tuition 

1999, First Prize, Sociologists of Minnesota Graduate Student Paper Competition, $100 1994, Honors Program Participant, American Sociological Association 

1994, Phi Beta Kappa, Luther College 

Presentations:

  1. March 2020, Childfree by Choice, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 
  2. March 2020, Childfree by Choice, University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME 
  3. February 2020, Childfree by Choice Author-Meets-Critics, Eastern Sociological Society, Philadelphia, PA 
  4. November 2019, Childfree by Choice, York University, Toronto, ON 
  5. October 2019, “But you’re not a REAL woman until you’ve had kids!” (And Other Myths of the Childfree), Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Colloquium, University of Maine, Orono, ME 
  6. September 2019, Childfree by Choice, Luther College, Decorah, IA 
  7. June 2019, Margaret Chase Smith’s Recipe Collection: The Domestic Life of a Public Servant, Association for the Study of Food and Society, Anchorage, AK 
  8. April 2019, From Clarence Thomas to #MeToo: Causes, Consequences, and Change in Workplace Sexual Harassment, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Social Justice Week plenary address, La Crosse, WI 
  9. March 2019, Sexual Harassment in the Workplace, Research Symposium on the State of Women’s Advancement in Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Policy, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 
  10. April 2018, “She’s my little buddy”: Childfree Women’s Roles in Social Reproduction, Amy Blackstone, Southern Sociological Society, New Orleans, LA 
  11. March 2018, Workplace Sexual Harassment, Amy Blackstone, Heather McLaughlin, and Christopher Uggen, State of the Union, The Stanford Center on Poverty & Inequality, Stanford, CA 
  12. April 2017, Faculty Incivility at a Striving Institution, Amy Blackstone and Susan K. Gardner, Pacific Sociological Association, Portland, OR 
  13. May 2016, Family Friendly Benefits and Employees Without Children, round table discussant, Advancing Women in Academia: 5th Annual Networking Conference, Bangor, ME 
  14. May 2016, Constructing the Childfree Family, Amy Blackstone, 10th Annual International Conference on Sociology, Athens, Greece 
  15. May 2015, Leadership Development Opportunities for Women: Comparing Notes, panel participant, Advancing Women in Academia: 4th Annual Networking Conference, Bangor, ME 
  16. March 2015, Confronting Faculty Incivility and Mobbing, Susan Gardner and Amy Blackstone, Southern Sociological Society, New Orleans, LA 

 

  1. February 2015, Feminist Reflections: A Space for Feminist Public Sociology, panel participant, Sociologists for Women in Society Annual Meeting, Washington, DC 
  2. November 2014, “If You Deserve it You Should Do it”: Faculty Agency in Applying for Promotion to Professor, Gardner, Susan and Amy Blackstone, American Association of Higher Education, Washington, DC 
  3. May 2014, Fostering Student and Faculty Engagement, Amy Blackstone and Kim Huisman, Advancing Women in Academia: 3rd Annual Networking Conference, Bangor, ME 
  4. February 2014, Starting a Dialogue: Childfree, Reproduction, and Family Scholars, panel participant, Sociologists for Women in Society Annual Meeting, Nashville, TN 
  5. October 2013, Mobilization in Response to Harassment: Lessons from One University Setting, Amy Blackstone and Susan Gardner, National Social Science Association Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA 
  6. May 2013, Reflections on Participation in Simmons School of Management’s Strategic Leadership for Women Program, Amy Blackstone, Advancing Women in Academia: 2nd Annual Networking Conference, Bangor, ME 
  7. April 2013, “Putting in your time”: Faculty Experiences in the Process of Promotion to Professor, co-presented with Susan Gardner, American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, CA 
  8. August 2012, “It’s a conscious decision”: Decision Making Processes among Childfree Men and Women, Amy Blackstone (presenter) and Mahala Stewart, Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association, Denver, CO 
  9. June 2012, The Challenges & Opportunities of Social Science Studies in ADVANCE IT Projects, co-presented with Susan K. Gardner, Melissa McDaniels, and CoSandra McNeal, NSF Joint Annual Meeting, Washington, DC 
  10. February 2012, “I get to be her playmate”: Childfree People’s Relationships with Children, Amy Blackstone. Annual Meeting of the Eastern Sociological Society, New York, NY 
  11. November 2010, Childfree Status as Gender Transgression?, Amy Blackstone, Annual Meeting of the National Council on Family Relations, Minneapolis, MN 
  12. August 2010, “The young girls thought I should be home waiting to die!” Harassment of Older Workers, Amy Blackstone, Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association, Atlanta, GA 
  13. March 2010, “Does not having kids make me less of a woman?”: Gender Resistance and Reification Among the Childfree, Amy Blackstone (presenter) and Mahala Stewart, Annual Meeting of the Eastern Sociological Society, Boston, MA 
  14. August 2009, A Longitudinal Analysis of Gender, Power, and Sexual Harassment in Young Adulthood, Heather McLaughlin (presenter), Christopher Uggen, and Amy Blackstone, Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association, San Francisco, CA 
  15. October 2007, Sexual Harassment in the Transition to Adulthood, Amy Blackstone, Women in the Curriculum Lunch Series, University of Maine 
  16. August 2007, ‘We all thought it was kind of bogus’: Employees’ Reactions to Sexual Harassment Training and Policies, Heather McLaughlin (presenter), Amy Blackstone (presenter), and Christopher Uggen, Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association, New York, NY 
  17. August 2007, The Psychological Impact of Sexual Harassment During the Early Occupational Career, Jason Houle, Jeremy Staff, Christopher Uggen (presenter), Jeylan Mortimer, and Amy Blackstone, Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association, New York, NY 
  18. August 2006, At the time, I thought it was great’: The Importance of Age in Labeling Sexual Harassment, Amy Blackstone (presenter), Jason Houle (presenter), and Christopher Uggen, Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association, Montreal, QC 
  19. February 2006, Workplace Harassment over the Life Course, Amy Blackstone, Annual Meeting of the Eastern Sociological Society, Boston, MA 
  20. March 2005, Defining and Responding to Sexual Harassment in the Transition to Adulthood, Amy Blackstone, Campus-wide Sociology Colloquium, University of Maine 
  21. August 2004, Welfare and Citizenship: The Effects of Public Assistance on Voting Behavior, Teresa Swartz, Amy Blackstone (presenter), and Christopher Uggen, Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association, San Francisco, CA 
  22. February 2004, Finding Politics in the Silly and the Sacred, Amy Blackstone, Annual Meeting of the Eastern Sociological Society, New York, NY 
  23. September 2003, “We’re not feminists, we’re just fair!” The Social Construction of Gender and Politics among Breast Cancer and Anti-Rape Activists, Amy Blackstone, Women in the Curriculum Lunch Series, University of Maine 
  24. June 2003, Deciding to Tell: Mobilizing in Response to Sexual Harassment, Christopher Uggen and Amy Blackstone (presenter), Invited Presentation at Annual Meeting of the Law and Society Association, Pittsburgh, PA 
  25. November 2002, Sexual Harassment in the Transition to Adulthood: Content and Context, Christopher Uggen and Amy Blackstone (presenter), Annual Meeting of the American Society of Criminology, Chicago, IL 
  26. August 2002, “It’s just about being fair”: Activism and the Politics of Volunteering in the Breast Cancer Movement, Amy Blackstone, Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association, Chicago, IL 
  27. June 2002, Sexual Harassment as a Gendered Expression of Power: A Life Course Analysis of the Structure and Meaning of Harassment Experiences, Christopher Uggen and Amy Blackstone (presenter), Annual Meeting of the Law and Society Association, Vancouver, Canada 
  28. April 2002, Getting Things Done: A Discussion on the Creation, Maintenance, and Benefits of Working Groups, Amy Blackstone, Alyssa Goolsby, and Amy Ronnkvist, Annual Meeting of the Midwest Sociological Society, Milwaukee, WI 
  29. August 2001, Sexual Harassment in Adolescence and Adulthood: Victimization and Mobilization, Christopher Uggen (presenter) and Amy Blackstone, Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association, Anaheim, CA 
  30. August 2000, Getting In on the Way to Getting There: The Process of Discovery and the Discovery of Process in Establishing Rapport, Amy Blackstone (presenter) and Alyssa Goolsby, Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association, Washington, D.C. 
  31. April 2000, Complexities, Contradictions, and Cancer: Komen’s Work for the Cure, Amy Blackstone, Annual Meeting of the Midwest Sociological Society, Chicago, IL 
  32. April 2000, “We’re not feminists, We’re just fair”: Gendered Ideologies and the Implications for Social Change, Amy Blackstone, Sociology Research Institute, University of Minnesota 
  33. October 1999, Pink Ribbons and “Play” Work: Making the Personal Political from Within the Mainstream, Amy Blackstone, Annual Meeting of the Sociologists of Minnesota, Mankato, MN 
  34. March 1999, Perceived Deprivation in Health Care and the Potential for Social Movements: An International Perspective, Robert Leik, Amy Blackstone (presenter), and Sheila Leik, Annual Meeting of the Pacific Sociological Association, Portland, OR 
  35. May 1998, A Look at Changes in Methodological and Substantive Approaches Toward Women’s Volunteerism in Sociology, Amy Blackstone, Sociology Research Institute, University of Minnesota 

SERVICE 

Professional Service:

Article Reviews for Journals: Journal of Family Issues; Sociological Spectrum; Sociological Forum; Criminology; Contexts; Law & Society Review; American Journal of Sociology; Social Forces; Review of Policy Research; Research in Social Movements, Conflict, and Change; Gender & Society; Social Problems; Social Psychology Quarterly; Violence Against Women; Sex Roles; Sociological Focus; Equal Opportunities International; Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, The Sociological Quarterly 

Film Reviews: Bullfrog Films; The Childless by Choice Project; Media Education Foundation 

Book Manuscript & Proposal Reviews: National Science Foundation; NYU Press; Cengage; Lynne Rienner Publishers; McGraw-Hill; Roxbury Publishers; Thomson Wadsworth; Pine Forge Press 

Professional Activities: 

2020-22, External Advisory Board, NSF ADVANCE Grant, University of Missouri – St. Louis 2019-21, External Advisory Board, NSF ADVANCE Grant, California State University – San Bernadino 2019-21, Awards Committee, Sociologists for Women in Society 

2018-20, Working Group on Harassment, American Sociological Association 

2017, Advisory Committee, Scholars Strategy Network Policy Engagement Workshop 2015, Discussion Roundtables Organizer, American Sociological Association 

2012, Awards Committee for Feminist Scholar-Activism Award, Sex and Gender Section of the American Sociological Association 

2012, Paper reviewer for National Council on Family Relations 2012 conference, Research and Theory Section 

2012, Advisory Board, Taking Sides: Family and Personal Relationships, McGraw-Hill 15

2011, Paper reviewer for National Council on Family Relations Feminism and Family Studies Section Jessie Bernard Paper Award 

2008-10, Consulting Editor, Contexts 

2009, Grant reviewer for National Council on Family Relations Feminism and Family Studies Section Jessie Bernard Proposal Award 

2001-03, Sociologists of Minnesota Board, Central State Student Representative 

Panels & Presentations: 

2019-20, Childfree by Choice book readings in New York City; Belmont, MA; Decorah, IA; Minneapolis, MN; Newport, ME; Toronto, ON; Washington, DC; Bangor, ME; Boise, ID 

September 2019, Behind-the-Scenes of Publishing & Promoting a Best-Selling Book, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 

August 2015, Taking on the Role of Department Chair: Suggestions and Resources for New Chairs, Annual ASA Department Chairs Conference, Chicago, IL 

August 2011, Gender & the Media, Roundtable Session Presider, Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association, Las Vegas, NV 

August 2008, Teaching the Sociology of Gender, Workshop Co-Leader and Organizer with Betsy Lucal, Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association, Boston, MA 

August 2008, Displaced Workers: Coping With Job Loss, Panel Presider, Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association, Boston, MA 

April 2005, Teaching the Sociology of Gender and Work, Roundtable discussion leader, Annual Meeting of the Midwest Sociological Society, Minneapolis, MN 

April 2003, Creating and Maintaining a Successful Dissertation Group: How to Get By With a Little Help From Your Friends, Workshop co-presented by Amy Blackstone, Lara Cleveland, Alyssa Goolsby, and Amy Ronnkvist, University of Minnesota 

April 2002, The Hmong in the Midwest, Panel Presider, Annual Meeting of the Midwest Sociological Society, Milwaukee, WI 

March 2002, The Youth Development Study: Then and Now, Roundtable Organizer and Participant, Sociology Research Institute, University of Minnesota 

October 2000, Getting to Graduate School and Surviving/Thriving Once You’re There, Panelist, Meeting of the Sociologists of Minnesota & Wisconsin Sociological Association, River Falls, WI 

Departmental Service 

2003-19, Policy Advisory Committee, University of Maine 

2009-11; 2017-20, Peer Committee, University of Maine 

2017-18, Search Committee Chair, University of Maine 

2007-15, Sociology Club, Faculty Co-Advisor, University of Maine 

2000-01, Undergraduate Affairs & Ethics/Grievance Committee, Graduate Student Representative, University of Minnesota 

1999-01, Teaching Resources Center, Graduate Assistant, University of Minnesota (web address: www.soc.umn.edu/TRC.htm) 

1999-01, Faculty Mentor Award Committee, Sociology Research Institute, University of Minnesota 1998-99, Conference Planning Committee, Sociology Research Institute, University of Minnesota 1997–98, Admissions&Awards Committee,Graduate Student Representative,University of Minnesota Selected College and University Service 

2021, Black Bear Award for Extraordinary Impact Committee, University of Maine 

2021, School of Economics/Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center Joint Peer Committee, University of Maine 

2021, Center Director Review Committee, Vice President for Research Office, University of Maine 2011-2019, Advisory Panel for Research Proposal Review, University of Maine 2021, National History Day Judge, Margaret Chase Smith Library, University of Maine 2020, Maine NEW Leadership presentation, UMaine Alumni Association 

2018-20, Communication & Journalism Peer Committee, University of Maine 2017-20, Political Science Peer Committee, University of Maine 

2018, UMaine Voter Activation Team, University of Maine 

2017-18, NEASC Accreditation Self Study, Team on Standard 1: Mission & Purposes, University of Maine 

2016, TEDxUMaine Faculty Panel, University of Maine 

2015-16, Provost’s Faculty Development Work Group, University of Maine 

2015-16, New Faculty Orientation planning committee, University of Maine 2014-16, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Advisory Board, University of Maine 

2009-16, Advancement Initiatives Council, Advisory Board for NSF ADVANCE grant, University of Maine 

2014-15, Student Women’s Association, Faculty Advisor, University of Maine 

2013-15, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Promotion and Tenure Advisory Board, University of Maine 

2014, Truman Scholarship Selection Committee, University of Maine 

2013-14, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean Search Committee, University of Maine 

2013, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program Implementation Committee, University of Maine 

2012-13, Committee on Community Engagement Carnegie Classification, University of Maine 2012-13, Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence Prevention Committee, University of Maine 2012, Faculty Leadership Academy, University of Maine 

2012, Blue Sky Plan Implementation Pathway Team – Embracing a Culture of Excellence, University of Maine 

2012, Women’s Studies Revisioning Committee, University of Maine 

2012, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Strategic Planning Working Group, University of Maine 2011-2012, Faculty Team on Maine’s Sustainability Solutions Initiative, University of Maine 2012, Research Seed Grant Awards Committee, Rising Tide Center, University of Maine 2009-1 2, Institutional Review Board, University of Maine 

2003-11, Curriculum Transformation Committee, Women in the Curriculum, University of Maine 

December 2011, Faculty Satisfaction at UMaine: An Update on ADVANCE Rising Tide Research, presentation by Susan Gardner, Shannon McCoy, and Amy Blackstone, Women in the Curriculum Lunch Series, University of Maine 

2011, Diversity Institute, guest participant for focus on gender, University of Maine 2011, Leadership Development Awards Committee, Rising Tide Center, University of Maine 2008-10, Center for Undergraduate Research Advisory Committee, University of Maine 2004-09, Students for a Safe Campus Faculty Advisor, University of Maine 

2005-08, Geriatric Research Council, Center on Aging, University of Maine 

2007-2008, Interdisciplinary working group to form Center for Undergraduate Research, University of Maine 

2008, Search Committee, Director of Center for Undergraduate Research, University of Maine 2004-06, Safe Campus Project Task Force, University of Maine 

Spring 2006, Policy Studies Committee, University of Maine 

2004-2005, University Research Council (and subcommittee on strategic plan implementation), University of Maine 

2004-05, Research Collaborative on Violence Against Women, University of Maine Blackstone, Amy. 2005. Invited essay in 135 Voices, book commemorating 135th anniversary of the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. 

March 2005, Undergraduate Research, presentation by Randy Alford, Amy Blackstone, Brian Lescord, Nancy Hall, Jean MacRae, and Charlie Slavin, University of Maine Center for Teaching Excellence Workshop 

2003-2004, Interdisciplinary Learning Circle, Exploring Undergraduate Research at UMaine and Beyond, University of Maine 

Professional Development &  Training:

March 2019, CASE Newcomers in Development Conference and Making the Ask Workshop, New Orleans, LA 

Summer 2018, University Study Abroad Consortium instructor, Sociology of Food, Viterbo, Italy 

July 2017, Reframing Aging: A New Approach to Change the Public’s Misperceptions of Aging, San Francisco, CA 

February 2015, Leading Change workshop, Simmons School of Management, Boston, MA December 2014, The OpEd Project, Core Seminar: Write to Change the World, New York, NY 

March 2014, Improvisation for Scientists Workshop, facilitated by Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science, Orono, ME 

October 2013, Workshop on Developing Institutional Strategies for Rewarding Engaged Scholarship in Promotion and Tenure, Eastern Region Campus Compact, Philadelphia, PA 

September 2012, Strategic Leadership for Women, Simmons School of Management, Boston, MA February 2012, Gender, Science, and Organizations Writing Workshop, St. Petersburg, FL February 2012, Academic Chairpersons Conference, Orlando, FL 

February 2012, How to Share Your Sociological Smarts With a Larger Audience: A Professional Workshop, New York, NY 

September 2011, Teleseminar Series on Working with the Media, Council on Contemporary Families April 2011, Science: Becoming the Messenger , National Science Foundation workshop, Orono, ME 

February 2009, two-day McGraw-Hill Symposium on teaching introductory sociology classes, Orlando, FL 

April 2008, A Call to Action Leadership Summit, University of Maine, Orono, ME June 2007, Bootcamp for Profs, Leadville, CO 

August 2006, Grant Writing Seminar, Maine Association of Nonprofits SkillBuilder series, Bangor, ME 

October 2005, CALCASA (California Coalition Against Sexual Assault) Campus Program’s Training and Technical Assistance Institute, Philadelphia, PA 

November 2004, NVivo Training, Boston, MA 

Advising and Mentorship:

Undergraduate (details available on request) 

5 Honors Theses Advised 

21 Honors Thesis Committees 

4 Senior Theses Advised 

5 Independent Studies Advised 

11 Research Assistants Advised 

13 Teaching Assistants Advised 

9 Internships Advised 

Graduate 

2019- , PhD Committee, Natalie Blanton, University of Utah (childfree choice, Sociology)

2015- , PhD Committee, Dana Carver-Bialer (gender and pedagogy, Communications) 2014- , I-PhD Committee, Amy Olivia Pierce (gender and wedding culture, Interdisciplinary) 2018-20 , DSW Committee, Brittany Stahnke, Florida Atlantic University (childlessness in older women, Social Work) 

2012-14, PhD Committee, Ellen Newell (in-group acceptance within lesbian communities, Social Psychology) 

2011-14, PhD Committee, Daniela Veliz (experiences of international faculty, Higher Education) 2010-11, PhD Committee, Brandon Cosley (perceptions of discrimination, Social Psychology) 2008-10, Research Assistant on Older Worker Project, Michael J. Costello (Social Work student) Fall 08, Independent Study in Research Methods, Matt Leavitt (New Media student) 2007-08, MA Committee, Sharon LaBrie (“Forming Family: Lesbian Mothers in Rural Maine Communities,” Human Development Department) 

Fall 06, Higher Education Internship in Teaching Research Methods, Joseph Wellman Spring 06, Independent Study in Qualitative Methods, Joseph Wellman (Higher Education student) Spring 04, Special Project in Sociology of Gender, Michelle Gayne (Higher Education student) 

Organizational Memberships 

Scholars Strategy Network (national and Maine chapter) 

American Sociological Association 

Sociologists for Women in Society 

Eastern Sociological Society 

Council on Contemporary Families 

Association for the Study of Food and Society 

Slow Food USA, Boston Chapter