I study how assortative mating and family-making processes intersect with social inequalities by race, gender, and class. My research agenda is motivated by three primary questions:
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How do individuals select romantic partners across race and class boundaries?
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What happens to people’s understandings of social difference after they enter these unions?
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How do individuals in mixed-race relationships navigate their unions’ interraciality in different social contexts?
I use intersectional frameworks in my analyses, advancing our understanding of how behaviors and attitudes in the private sphere can entrench or dislodge a broader constellation of social inequalities. My work has received several paper awards and honorable mentions from the American Sociological Association (ASA), the Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP), and the Eastern Sociological Society (ESS).
Prior to beginning my graduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania, I executed marketing campaigns at UBS Investment Bank and consulted on new product launches at Nielsen. I received my B.S. in Sociology and Business Administration from New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business in 2015.
M.A., Sociology, University of Pennsylvania, 2022
B.S., Sociology and Business Administration, New York University, 2015 (magna cum laude)
Gender; Family; Race and Ethnicity; Assortative Mating; Sexualities; Masculinities; Intersectionality; Culture; Social Inequality; Asian America; Qualitative Methods
Instructor of Record:
Introduction to Sociology, Spring 2024 (Overall Rating: 3.8/4)
Asian Americans in Contemporary Society, Fall 2023 (Overall Rating: 3.7/4)
Teaching Assistant:
Media and Popular Culture (Prof. David Grazian), Spring 2023
Introduction to Sociological Research Methods (Prof. Regina Baker), Spring 2022
Introduction to Sociological Research Methods (Prof. Melissa Wilde), Fall 2021
Introduction to Sociology (Prof. Jerry Jacobs), Fall 2020
Every year, graduate instructors are nominated by undergraduate students for the Penn Prize for Excellence in Teaching by Graduate Students, a teaching prize awarded by the Office of the Provost. In 2022, I was one of 10 students across the entire university to be awarded this prize. I feel really proud to have received this honor because nominations came directly from students I have taught and mentored.
Hu, Olivia Y. 2024. “Let’s Talk about Race, Baby: How Interracial/-ethnic Relationships Influence East Asian Women’s Understandings of Race and Racism.” Ethnic and Racial Studies. doi: 10.1080/01419870.2024.2431635.
- 2023 SSSP Division of Critical Race and Ethnic Study Outstanding Graduate Student Paper Award (Winner)
- 2024 ASA Race, Gender, and Class Graduate Student Paper Award (Honorable Mention)
Hu, Olivia Y., Xiang Lu, (equal authorship) and Wendy D. Roth. 2024. “Linking Race and Genes: Racial Conceptualization among Genetic Ancestry Test-Takers.” Ethnic and Racial Studies 47(8):1574–96. doi: 10.1080/01419870.2023.2224871.
Twitter: @oliviayhu
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/oliviayhu