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Christine Whelan

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Christine B. Whelan
Born
Christine Barrett Whelan

(1977-07-05) July 5, 1977 (age 47)
New York City, U.S.
Alma materPrinceton University
University of Oxford
EmployerUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison
TitleClinical Professor of Consumer Science
Parent(s)Stephen Whelan, Elizabeth Whelan
Websitehttp://www.christinewhelan.com

Christine Barrett Whelan (born July 5, 1977) is an American writer, journalist, and clinical professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has authored two books about marriage, two self-help books for young adults, and an Audible series about purpose.

Early life

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Whelan was born in New York City to attorney Stephen T. Whelan and Elizabeth Whelan, an author and public health specialist.[1]

Education

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Whelan earned her undergraduate degree from Princeton University, graduating magna cum laude with a degree in politics. She subsequently was awarded the 1999 Daniel M. Sachs scholarship,[2] granting her direct acceptance to Worcester College within the University of Oxford,[3] where she studied Economic and Social History for her masters and doctorate.[4][5]

Academic and consulting roles

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Whelan has taught in the Sociology department at the University of Iowa, the Sociology and Politics departments at Princeton University,[6] and the Sociology department at the University of Pittsburgh. In 2013, she then moved to the Consumer Science department at the School of Human Ecology at University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she currently teaches and directs the Money, Relationships, and Equality (MORE) initiative.[7]

Journalism

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From 1997 through 2000, Whelan interned at The Wall Street Journal in its New York and Washington bureaus, and afterwards interned at The Washington Post.[4] In 2008, Whelan was awarded a Templeton-Cambridge Journalism Fellowship.[8]

Whelan's writing has also appeared in The New York Times, USA Today, National Review Online,[9] and The Huffington Post,[10] among other publications.

Publishing

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Whelan's first book, Why Smart Men Marry Smart Women, was published by Simon & Schuster in October 2006. In the book, Whelan coined the term SWANS, which stands for Strong Women Achievers, No Spouse.

Intended in part as a response to Maureen Dowd's 2005 book Are Men Necessary? When Sexes Collide,[11] Whelan presented evidence contrary to the belief that an elite education and high income among women correlate with lower marriage rates.[12] Using Census Bureau statistics, a commissioned poll of 3,700 men and women ages 25 to 40[13] and personal interviews, Whelan showed that while the stereotype was valid among previous generations, today a higher income and education in fact increases a woman's marriage chances, and that high-achieving women simply marry later in life.[14]

Prior to conducting the research, Whelan originally intended for the book to be a pessimistic take on the marriage prospects of professional women, drawn from popular studies and personal experience. The book was initially conceived with the title Overqualified for Love.[15]

Whelan's second book, Marry Smart: The Intelligent Woman's Guide to True Love, was published by Simon & Schuster on December 30, 2008.[6] Whelan's third book, Generation WTF: From “What the #%$&” to a Wise, Tenacious, and Fearless You, was published by Templeton Press in February 2011.[16] Whelan's fourth book, The Big Picture: A Guide to Finding Your Purpose in Life, was published in May 2016.[17] In 2021, Whelan recorded an Audible Original lecture series, "Finding Your Purpose," which made the Associated Press Bestseller list for Audible books that March.[18]

Public appearances

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Whelan has frequently appeared as an expert commentator on television news programs, including The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Good Morning America, and on national radio programs, including Iowa Public Radio,[19][20][21] Wisconsin Public Radio,[22] and the BBC[23] Whelan is a frequent featured speaker at public events and academic conferences.[24][25][26]

Personal

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Whelan has three children.[27]

References

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  1. ^ "Christine Whelan, Peter Moyers". The New York Times. 2007-06-17. Retrieved 2008-12-26.
  2. ^ "Former Prince editor wins Sachs". Princeton Weekly Bulletin. 2006-09-26. Retrieved 2008-12-26.
  3. ^ "Sachs Scholarship at Worcester College, University of Oxford".
  4. ^ a b "2000 Intern Bios". WashPost.com. Archived from the original on 2008-12-05. Retrieved 2008-12-26.
  5. ^ Clayton, Rachel (2006-09-26). "Marrying Up, Guys?". Today's Chicago Woman.
  6. ^ a b "Dr. Christine B. Whelan". ChristineWhelan.com. Retrieved 2010-10-28.
  7. ^ "About - Money+Relationships+Equality". Money+Relationships+Equality. Retrieved 2016-02-28.
  8. ^ "2008 Fellows". Templeton-Cambridge Journalism Fellowship in Science & Religion. University of Cambridge. Retrieved 2008-12-26.
  9. ^ Whelan, Christine (2007-11-16). "Gentlemen Prefer Brains". National Review Online. Archived from the original on 2007-12-19. Retrieved 2008-12-26.
  10. ^ "Christine Whelan". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2008-12-26.
  11. ^ "Fear not, smart women". The Washington Times. 2006-11-15. Retrieved 2008-12-26.
  12. ^ Allison, Julia (2006-10-23). "Gentlemen prefer brains?". amNew York.
  13. ^ "It Might be True That 'Men Marry Their Mothers'" (Press release). University of Iowa News Services. 2008-05-05. Archived from the original on 2008-06-09. Retrieved 2008-12-26.
  14. ^ Elliott, Tom (2006-11-12). "When Smart Equals Sexy". New York Post. Archived from the original on April 19, 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-26.
  15. ^ Hobson, Katherine (2006-11-22). "Smart women do wed". Princeton Alumni Weekly. Princeton University. Retrieved 2008-12-26.
  16. ^ Whelan, Christine B. (2011-02-04). Generation WTF: From What the #$%&! to a Wise, Tenacious, and Fearless You: Advice on How to Get There from Experts and WTFers Just Like You. West Conshohocken, PA: Templeton Press. ISBN 9781599473475.
  17. ^ Whelan, Christine B. (2016-05-23). The Big Picture: A guide to Finding Your Purpose in Life. S.l.: Templeton Press. ISBN 9781599474243.
  18. ^ "The top 10 audiobooks on Audible.com". AP NEWS. 2021-04-20. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
  19. ^ Smith, Terence (1999-01-18). "Beyond the Beltway". The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. PBS. Retrieved 2008-12-26.
  20. ^ "Dr. Christine B. Whelan". Good Morning America. 3 December 2007. Retrieved 2008-12-26.
  21. ^ "KUNI: The Exchange". Iowa Public Radio. 2008-11-25. Retrieved 2008-12-26.
  22. ^ "In A Barbie World: Barbie's New Look | Wisconsin Public Radio". www.wpr.org. Retrieved 2016-02-28.
  23. ^ "Self-help and Self-improvement, Thinking Allowed - BBC Radio 4". BBC. Retrieved 2016-02-28.
  24. ^ "Upcoming Events". Hudson Union Club. Archived from the original on 2016-03-17. Retrieved 2008-12-26.
  25. ^ "Christine B. Whelan". Fox Speakers Forum. University of Pennsylvania. Archived from the original on May 13, 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-26.
  26. ^ "Impact of the Individual, Power of the Network". Columbia Women in Business. Columbia University. 2007-02-23. Archived from the original on July 3, 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-26.
  27. ^ "About | Christine B. Whelan". www.christinewhelan.com. Retrieved 2016-02-28.
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