Stephanie Coontz is the Director of Research and Public Education for the Council on Contemporary Families and emeritus faculty of History and Family Studies at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. She currently serves as an advisor to MTV for its anti-bias campaign.
She is the author of five books on gender, family, and history, including Marriage, A History: How Love Conquered Marriage, which was cited in the US Supreme Court decision on marriage equality. She has edited and contributed chapters to more than 25 other books, and her writings have been translated into a dozen languages. See a complete list of her books.
In addition to long-form and academic writing, you may have seen her on television, including Oprah Winfrey, the Today Show, and PBS News Hour, or heard her interviewed on NPR. Coontz's articles have appeared in both popular and academic media, from The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal to the Chronicle of Higher Education, and the Journal of Marriage and Family. Read selected articles.
As a passionate advocate for academics in public life, Coontz conducts media training workshops around the country, both for professional groups and at academic institutions, including Notre Dame, Columbia, and UCLA. Learn more about Coontz's speaking and workshops.
Video: Stephanie's 2020 commencement speech at The Evergreen State College: Sometimes there comes a crack in time.
Video: Stephanie's 8-minute talk at Love Equally at the Washington State Legislature celebration of same-sex marriage on February 14, 2023
Awards and Recognition
- The Stanley Cohen Distinguished Research Award from the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts
- The Work-Life Legacy Award from the Families and Work Institute
- Honorary doctorate from Muhlenberg College
- Council on Contemporary Families’ Visionary Leadership Award
- Dale Richmond Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics
- Stephanie Coontz named one of the 25 most influential women historians in the past 10 years.