Dr. S. W. Underwood is a sociologist specializing in families, gender, and sexualities. Their research examines 2SLGBTQI+ parenthood in Canada, with a focus on gay fathers and the social, legal, and cultural barriers they navigate to form and sustain families. Integrating perspectives on race, class, and political economy, Underwood’s work highlights both the inequalities and profound commitments shaping male primary caregiving. They have published on adoption, surrogacy, and the transformation of fatherhood, with several contributions to leading sociology and gender studies volumes and journals. Underwood holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Toronto and currently lectures in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Simon Fraser University.

Experience

  • –present
    Lecturer, Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Simon Fraser University

Education

  • 2025 
    University of Toronto, PhD in sociology

Publications

  • 2026
    The Gay Parental Turn: Canadian Gay Fathers and the Reorganization of Care and Community, Canadian Review of Sociology 63 (2: e70035)
  • 2024
    Gay dads to be: Reflections on gender, sexuality, family, and race in adoption and surrogacy, LGBTQ+ Family: An Interdisciplinary Journal 20 (5), 339-354

Contact S. for

  • General
  • Media request
  • Speaking request
  • Consulting / Advising
  • Research collaboration
  • Research supervision