Jonathan Bearak is a sociologist and demographer who studies inequality in social, health, and economic outcomes. A senior research scientist at the Guttmacher Institute, Dr. Bearak divides his time between global comparative research and analyses specific to the United States. He leads the Institute's keystone study of unintended pregnancy and abortion worlwide. As part of this work, he led the publication of the first-ever set of country-specific estimates, released in partnership with the World Health Organization. Presently, his foci also include the development of a new approach to comparing the effectiveness of contraceptive methods. Highlights of his other work at Guttmacher include research on the complex relationship between fertility intentions and women's earnings and estimates of spatial inequality in abortion access.
Dr. Bearak received his Ph.D. in Sociology from New York University after majoring in Political Science at Queens College of the City University of New York with minors in computer science and sociology. While in graduate school, he conducted research in several areas including the relationship between motherhood and earnings, on the sexual double standard, on contraception, and on measurement issues in education. His publications can be found in various scholarly journals, e.g., Demography, The Lancet, BMJ Global Health, Lancet Global Health, Lancet Public Health, BMJ Sexual and Reproductive Health, Demographic Research, Women’s Health Issues, Social Forces, and American Sociological Review.