Emily H. Ruppel

Headshot of Emily Ruppel

Assistant Professor

Emily Ruppel works at the intersections of medical sociology, the sociology of labor, and gender/sexuality studies. She is writing a book about disability under neoliberalism, tentatively titled Capitalizing on Disability: Care and Precarity in Disability Employment Programs. This book project uses historical research to trace the rise of job training programs for workers with disabilities 1970s-present and comparative ethnographic fieldwork to investigate labor practices across contemporary programs. Other current projects address (a) gendered constructions of autism and ADHD and (b) political economic aspects of gendered state violence, e.g., restrictions on abortion. Her research has been published in outlets including American Sociological Review, Social Problems, Work and Occupations, Economy & Society, and Sexualities and has won awards from the American Sociological Association and Association for Critical Sociology. 

Teaching

Professor Ruppel teaches courses on research methods, labor, disability, and other themes. She is currently accepting new Ph.D. students and is glad to speak directly with prospective students. Undergraduates interested in her research group are also welcome to get in touch, though she may not be able to accommodate all interested students.

Education and Degree(s)
  • Ph.D. Sociology, UC Berkeley, 2026
  • MA, Sociology, UC Berkeley, 2020
  • BA, Sociology, Smith College, 2018
Research Interests & Expertise
  • Medical Sociology
  • Labor
  • Gender and Sexuality
  • Disability
Publications
  • Ruppel, Emily H. Forth. “Neurodiversity: From Activist Category to Corporate Buzzword.” Forthcoming in Social Problems.
  • Ruppel, Emily H. 2025. "The Making of a Reserve Army of Labor: Paradoxes of American Disability Policy." Critical Sociology 51(3):451-469. doi:10.1177/08969205241246446.
  • Ruppel, Emily H. 2024. "How Work Becomes Invisible: The Erosion of the Wage Floor for Workers with Disabilities." American Sociological Review 89(5):907-936. doi:10.1177/00031224241268201.
  • Ruppel, Emily H. 2024. “Therapeutic Management in the Low-Wage Workplace.” Social Science & Medicine 352:117026. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.117026.
  • Lara-Millán, Armando and Emily H. Ruppel [equally co-authored]. 2024. "The American 'Doc Fix': Incremental Policy Change and the Growth of US Healthcare Spending." Economy & Society 53(2):205-226. doi:10.1080/03085147.2024.2336798.
  • Ruppel, Emily H. 2024. “Disability and the State Production of Precarity.” Work and Occupations 51(4):510-549. doi:10.1177/07308884231207773.
  • Ruppel, Emily H., Claude Fischer, Stephanie Child, and Marian Botchway. 2022. “Distinct Aspects of Human Connection Associated with Subjective Well-Being.” Social Science & Medicine – Mental Health 2. doi:10.1016/j.ssmmh.2022.100143.
  • Ruppel, Emily H. 2022. “Turning Bourdieu Back Upon Sexual Field Theory.” Sexualities 25(5/6):546-562. doi:10.1177/1363460720976958.
  • Ruppel, Emily H., Stephanie Child, Claude S. Fischer, & Marian Botchway. 2022. “Causal Relationships between Social Networks and Health: A Comparison of Three Modeling Strategies.” Journal of Health and Social Behavior 63(3):392-409. doi:10.1177/00221465211072310.
  • Child, Stephanie, Emily H. Ruppel, Michelle Albert, & Leora Lawton. 2022. “Network Support and Negative Life Events Associated with Chronic Cardiometabolic Disease Outcomes.” American Journal of Preventative Medicine 62(1):21-28. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2021.06.022.
  • Child, Stephanie, Emily H. Ruppel, Mia Zhong, & Leora Lawton. 2021. “Direct and Moderating Causal Effects of Network Support on Sleep Quality: Findings from the UC Berkeley Social Network Study.” Annals of Behavioral Medicine 55(5):446-459. doi:10.1093/abm/kaaa082.
  • Karpman, Hannah E., Emily H. Ruppel, & Maria Torres. 2018. “'It Wasn’t Feasible for Us': Queer Women of Color Navigating Family Formation.” Family Relations 67(1):118-131. doi:10.1111/fare.12303.
  • Ruppel, Emily H., Hannah E. Karpman, Carolyn E. Delk, & Mallory Merryman. 2017. “Online Maternity Information Seeking among Lesbian, Bisexual, and Queer Women.” Midwifery 48:18-23. doi:10.1016/j.midw.2017.02.011.