Shannon Marie Gleeson
Ph.D. Student
University of California - Berkeley
Graduate Group in Sociology and Demography
2232 Piedmont Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94720-2120
sgleeson@berkeley.edu

Curriculum Vitae

Research Interests
social stratification, labor and social policy, immigrant economic incorporation, mixed-methods research approaches

Dissertation
“The Intersection of Legal Status and Stratification - The Paradox of Immigration Law and Labor Protections in the United States”
Committee: Co-Chairs – Irene Bloemraad and Sam Lucas; Mike Hout, Kim Voss

This research focuses on immigrant workers and their legal status as a lens through which to assess the broader labor and citizenship dynamics of advanced capitalist societies. Drawing on previous scholarship in law and society, political sociology, and labor movements, this research addresses how government rules and legal status shape workplace conditions, as well as workers' understanding of their rights. This study employs a mixed-method comparative case study, including: 1) an analysis of legal proceedings and administrative regulations and statutes; 2) statistical analyses using Department of Labor and Census data to assess the effects of state labor policy and violation rates on general economic outcomes, and 3) in-depth interviews with government officials and enforcement agents, union and community leaders, and most importantly, low-wage immigrant service workers. Interviews were conducted in San Jose, CA and Houston, TX.

Sociology Master's Thesis
“An Analysis of Wage Attainment and Occupational Status of Mexican Immigrant Men Living in the U.S. A Comparison of Current Population Survey and Mexican Migration Project Data”
Committee: Sam Lucas, Mike Hout, Trond Petersen

In this paper I analyze two economic outcomes: hourly wage and occupational status, for male Mexican immigrants. I utilize two distinct data sources: the nationally representative Current Population Survey, and the Mexican Migration Project4 (MMP). The comparison of results shows that there are benefits to using additional information when studying populations, such as the Mexican immigrant population, that are not well represented in conventional nationally-representative surveys. Furthermore, when analyzing labor market outcomes, additional variables, such as documentation status and English ability, should be taken into account in order to attain a more comprehensive understanding of the determinants of labor market outcomes. Lastly, an examination of both occupation and hourly wage provide a more ample description of the process of immigrant economic incorporation.