Congratulations to Dr Henglong Luo, who has just completed his DPhil in Sociology.
Building upon the theoretical foundation of human agency, Henglong's thesis explores the role of education in shaping gender inequalities and intergenerational stratification.
Drawing upon modern China as a case study, it investigates three questions: Is there a human capital transfer between spouses? Is there a human capital transfer from mothers to children? And is there a transformation from human capital into social capital?
By addressing these questions, the thesis elucidates the role of human agency in perpetuating and transforming structural inequalities, sheds light on education’s potential and limitations as an equaliser, and offers policy insights for mitigating gender income disparities and promoting intergenerational mobilities.
Henglong's research has been recognised at esteemed sociological conferences, including presentations at the European Consortium for Sociological Research (ECSR) Conference, the Population Association of America (PAA) Annual Conference, and the American Sociological Association (ASA) Annual Conference.
Prior to Oxford University, Henglong studied the sociology of education at the University of Cambridge and earned an MPhil in Education Research with distinction (ranked 1st in the programme) in 2020. Prior to Cambridge, he studied at University College London, obtaining an MSc in Management with distinction in 2017, and an MRes in Management in 2018.
Upon completing his DPhil studies, Henglong will rejoin Oxford's Department of Sociology as a Postdoctoral Researcher.
In this role, Henglong will continue exploring gender inequalities, with a particular focus on comparative analyses between Eastern and Western societies and from a time-use perspective. By delving deeper into these issues, he aims to contribute meaningfully to our understanding of social dynamics and inform evidence-based policy interventions.
You can contact Dr Luo on his website.