Kate Prickett

As a family sociologist and demographer, Kate’s research is focused on the ways in which the connection between family contexts and children’s health and wellbeing is implicated in the intergenerational transmission of inequality.

In 2018, Kate was appointed Director of of the Roy McKenzie Centre for the Study of Families and Children at the Victoria Business School at the University of Wellington. She previously worked at the University of Waikato where she was a Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Social Policy. Previously, she held postgraduate research positions at the University of Chicago and the University of Texas at Austin (also where she also completed her PhD). 

In 2025, Kate was nominated for the prestigious award in her sub-field (the Rosabeth Moss Kanter International Award
for Research Excellence in Work and Family) for her article Employment resources and the physical and mental health of mothers of young children. 

Kate spent six months in 2008 working at Motu as a Research Analyst, exploring issues related to rural land use, telecommunications infrastructure, and Maori migration.