She worked at Harvard as a lecturer from 1987 to 1989, as an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Pennsylvania from 1989 to 1996, and as a visiting associate professor at the University of California, Los Angeles from 1996 to 2001.
During her academic career, she taught at Harvard from 1987 to 1989, held an assistant professorship in sociology at the University of Pennsylvania from 1989 to 1996, and served as a visiting professor at UCLA from 1996 to 2001.