Personal profile
Research interests
My broader research interests centre around:
- Social, cultural and (post)feminist theory
- Inequality and discrimination
- The neoliberalisation of culture
- Feminisms
- (Gender) Politics of networked social media
- Conceptualisations of care and work-life balance
- Digital and innovative social research methods incl. digital ethnography
- Discursive, psychosocial methods that encompass affect
Profile
I am a sociologist specialising in the sociologies of gender, work and the digital. I gained my PhD in Sociology from City, University of London where I also taught for five years as a Visiting Lecturer and was part of the Gender and Sexualities Research Centre’s Organising Committee. Prior to joining Aberystwyth University in 2023, I taught at the University of Essex on their Sociology programme. Preceding this and the PhD, I completed an MA (Dist) in Sociology and worked in several capacities at the interdisciplinary gender research centre at the University of Frankfurt.
My doctoral research explored discourses of equality, work and care on and beyond Britain’s largest parenting website Mumsnet.com. As a feminist sociologist, all my work is animated by questions about inequalities and power relations. As such, my research is underpinned by an intersectional approach that recognises people’s experiences of work and parenting are shaped by intersecting cultural and structural inequalities.
In my current research, I explore what the ‘digital turn’ means in particular for mothers and people with caring responsibilities. I also continue to be interested in exploring the social and emotional implications of communicative practices in techno-social environments, and their embedding in a shifting feminist landscape.
I am passionate about teaching. Reflecting my commitment to inclusive teaching and learning as well as nurturing student support, I gained a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice and became a Fellow of the Higher Academy in 2020.
Additional information
Office hour during term time:
Tuesdays, 14:00-15:00
Responsibilities
DGES service:
- DGES Dissertations and Projects Co-ordinator (Sociology)
- DGES Recruitment Committee member
University service:
- Interdisciplinary Gender Studies Research Group (IGSRG -AberGender) Co-convenor
- Women in Research Network (WiRN) Organising Committee member
- Responsible Research Assessment (RRA) Group member
Disciplinary service:
- Board Member, European Sociological Association, Research Network Women's and Gender Studies
- Associate Member of the Cornelia Goethe Center for Gender Studies, Goethe University Frankfurt
- Social Sciences Conference Ambassador for Wales
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 5 Gender Equality
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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The adverse consequences of quantitative easing (QE): International capital flows and corporate debt growth in China
Maiani, S., Lamla, M., Wood, G. & Ehrstein, Y., 31 Oct 2024, In: Socio-Economic Review. 22, 4, p. 1995-2023 29 p., mwae015.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Citation (Scopus)38 Downloads (Pure) -
“Facilitating wife” and “feckless manchild”: Working mothers’ talk about divisions of care on Mumsnet
Ehrstein, Y., 01 Aug 2022, In: Feminism and Psychology. 32, 3, p. 394-412 19 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
9 Citations (Scopus) -
Shani Orgad, Heading Home: Motherhood, Work, and the Failed Promise of Equality
Ehrstein, Y., 01 Apr 2020, In: European Journal of Cultural Studies. 23, 2, p. 296-302Research output: Contribution to journal › Book/Film/Article Review › peer-review
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Book Review of Heading Home: Motherhood, Work and the Failed Promise of Equality by Shani Orgad. New York, Chichester: Columbia University Press, (2019), LSE Review of Books
Ehrstein, Y., 2019Research output: Non-textual form › Web publication/site
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The Affective Life of Neoliberalism: Constructing (Un)reasonableness on Mumsnet
Ehrstein, Y., Gill, R. & Littler, J., 09 Dec 2019, Neoliberalism in Context: Governance, Subjectivity and Knowledge. Dawes, S. & Marc, L. (eds.). Cham: Springer Nature, p. 195-213 19 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter
22 Citations (Scopus)
Activities
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Aberystwyth University Visibility Awards 2026
Gagen, E. (Organiser), Phipps, J. (Organiser), O'Hanlon, C. (Organiser), Wood, J. (Organiser), Ehrstein, Y. (Organiser), Lewis, F. (Organiser), Jones, D. E. (Organiser), Sanders, A. (Organiser), Clarke, S. (Organiser), Miles, H. (Organiser) & Roberts, H. (Organiser)
01 May 2026Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Festival or Exhibition
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Improving Employers' Capacity to Employ Disabled People in Wales
Plotnikova, M. (Speaker), Sheppard, E. (Speaker) & Ehrstein, Y. (Speaker)
13 Apr 2026Activity: Talk or presentation › Oral presentation
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AberCollab: Employing Disabled People in Wales: A Networking and Discussion Event
Sheppard, E. (Organiser), Ehrstein, Y. (Organiser) & Plotnikova, M. (Organiser)
2026 → …Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Workshop, Seminar, or Course
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Relentless injustice: trauma, exhaustion and researching zombie problems (or banging your head against a wall)
O'Connor, S. (Organiser), Gagen, E. (Organiser), Sheppard, E. (Organiser) & Ehrstein, Y. (Organiser)
26 Aug 2025 → 29 Aug 2025Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Conference
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Aberystwyth University Visibility Awards 2025
Sanders, A. (Organiser), Gagen, E. (Organiser), Williams, C. (Organiser), Ehrstein, Y. (Organiser), Jones, D. E. (Organiser), Roberts, H. (Organiser), Miles, H. (Organiser), Phipps, J. (Organiser) & Wood, J. (Organiser)
07 Mar 2025Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Festival or Exhibition
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Frontiers in Sociology (Journal)
Ehrstein, Y. (Editor), Maiani, S. (Editor) & Andrade, C. (Editor)
2025 → …Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work › Editorial activity
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The ‘Drip, Drip, Drip of What People are Actually Saying’: Subtle Sexism Against Working Mothers in UK Work Settings
Ehrstein, Y. (Speaker)
27 Aug 2024 → 30 Aug 2024Activity: Talk or presentation › Oral presentation
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AberCollab: Bringing Bodies into Policy
O'Connor, S. (Organiser), Ehrstein, Y. (Organiser), Gagen, E. (Organiser) & Sheppard, E. (Organiser)
09 Jul 2024Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Workshop, Seminar, or Course
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Navigating Subtle Discrimination in the Contemporary UK Workplace: Working Mothers’ Experiences and Response Strategies
Ehrstein, Y. (Speaker)
03 Apr 2024Activity: Talk or presentation › Oral presentation
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Aberystwyth University Visibility Awards 2024
Sanders, A. (Organiser), Williams, C. (Organiser), Ehrstein, Y. (Organiser), Gagen, E. (Organiser), Roberts, H. (Organiser), Miles, H. (Organiser), Phipps, J. (Organiser), Wood, J. (Organiser) & Jones, D. E. (Organiser)
08 Mar 2024Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Festival or Exhibition
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Associate Member of the Cornelia Goethe Center for Gender Studies, Goethe University Frankfurt (External organisation)
Ehrstein, Y. (Member)
2024 → …Activity: Membership › Membership of committee