My name is Man Yao, and I go by Yao. I’m a PhD candidate in the Department of Sociology at The Ohio State University. My research focuses on social stratification and inequality in contemporary U.S. and Chinese societies, with an emphasis on gender, race and ethnicity, and education.

I will join Denison University as an Assistant Professor of Women's and Gender Studies, starting in August 2024.

You could find my updated CV here.

One thread of my work explores how cultural beliefs about group distinctions allow gender and racial inequalities to persist. A second thread of my research examines how social statuses—such as gender, race, socioeconomic status, and family structure—shape access and returns to education. Methodologically, I combine traditional social science methods (e.g., survey, experiment, and interview) with computational techniques and big data to analyze these topics.

I grew up in a small city called Enshi on the mountainous southwestern corner of Hubei province, China. Then, I lived in Beijing and received a M.A. in Anthropology and B.A. in Sociology, both from Renmin University of China. During this period, I conducted ethnographic work in an elementary school for migrant children on the outskirts of Beijing for three years.