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Anita Raj

Executive Director of Newcomb Institute, Tulane University of Louisiana

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About Anita

Raj is a research scientist trained in developmental psychology and public health with a multi-disciplinary research focus on gender equity in global health and development. She has led federal grant and foundation-funded studies on gender theory and measurement science, sexual and reproductive health, maternal and adolescent health, women’s empowerment, and gender inequalities, including gender-based violence and child marriage. She has approximately 300 peer-reviewed publications and is recognized as one of the most cited social scientists globally.

In the News

Opinion: "More People Need to Know That Abortion Is Health Care," Anita Raj, The Progressive, August 12, 2024.
Guest on Louisiana Considered, April 18, 2024.
Opinion: "Incarcerating Minors Harms Children — Especially Boys — And the Economic Security of Our State," Anita Raj, The Louisiana Illuminator, February 26, 2024.
Quoted by Chelsea Brasted in "Half of Louisiana Adults Have Faced Physical Violence, Report Says," Axios New Orleans, April 16, 2023.
Research discussed by Susan Chira, in "Numbers Hint at Why #MeToo Took Off: The Sheer Number Who Can Say Me Too," The New York Times, February 21, 2018.
Quoted by Rhitu Chatterjee in "A New Survey Finds 81 Percent Of Women Have Experienced Sexual Harassment," NPR, February 21, 2018.

Publications

"Biased Beliefs May Be Impeding U.S. Women’s Progress in Political Leadership," (with Anita Raj, Aidan Smith, Priyanka Patel, Namratha Rao, and Jakana Thomas), Newcomb Institute, Tulane University, August 22, 2024.

Examines gender representation in U.S. politics, highlighting that while women’s presence in elected offices is at a historic high, they remain under-represented compared to men. Findings show that the minority of U.S. adults believe that men are better political leaders than women, though this view is more common among conservatives and men. Underscores the need to address persistent gender biases and beliefs to achieve gender parity in political representation and ensure that women's issues are adequately addressed in policy-making.

"The EMERGE Framework to Measure Empowerment for Health and Development" (with Arnab Dey, Namratha Rao, Jennifer Yore, Lotus McDougal, Nandita Bhan, Jay G. Silverman, Katherine Hay, Edwin E. Thomas, Jean Christophe Fotso, and Rebecka Lundgren). Social Science & Medicine 351, no. 1 (2024).

Presents the EMERGE Framework, which aims to enhance the measurement of women's empowerment in the context of global health and development. This framework offers concrete measurable constructs to assess critical consciousness and choice, agency and backlash, and goal achievement as the empowerment process, recognizing its operation at multiple levels-from the individual to the collective.

"The Associations of Everyday and Major Discrimination Exposure With Violence and Poor Mental Health Outcomes During the COVID-19 Pandemic" (with Sangeeta Chatterji, Nicole E. Johns, Jennifer Yore, Arnab K. Dey, and David R. Williams). Social Science & Medicine 318 (2023).

Examines the relative effects of everyday discrimination and racial/ethnic institutional discrimination on experiences of violence and mental health during the pandemic using a statewide sample of adults in California. Findings show significant effects on these outcomes, with stronger effects from everyday versus institutional discrimination.

"Evaluation of a Gender Synchronized Family Planning Intervention for Married Couples in Rural India: The CHARM2 Cluster Randomized Control Trial" (with Mohan Ghule, Nicole E. Johns, Madhusudana Battala, Shahina Begum, Anvita Dixit, Florin Vaida, Niranjan Saggurti, Jay G. Silverman, and Sarah Averbach). eClinicalMedicine 45 (2022).

Evaluates the impact of a gender-transformative family planning intervention (CHARM2) on young married couples in rural India, offering a scalable model to improve contraceptive use, communication, and agency and possibly decrease unplanned pregnancies for couples.

"Gender Parity at Work and Its Association With Workplace Sexual Harassment" (with Nicole E. Johns and Rupa Jose). Workplace Health & Safety 68, no. 6 (2020): 279-292.

Examines the relationship between gender parity in the workplace and workplace sexual harassment among employed adults in the U.S. Findings indicate that women in female-dominated industries and men in male-dominated occupations, relative to those with workplace gender parity, are at lower risk for harassment. Additionally, women in male-dominated occupations are at greater risk for sexual harassment from supervisors. Underscores that while gender parity can influence rates of harassment, additional normative changes in workplace culture are necessary to effectively reduce workplace sexual harassment.

"Gender Equality, Empowerment and Health: From Measurement to Impact" SSM - Population Health 9 (2019).

Introduces a journal special issue that focuses on whether and how gender equality and empowerment affect health. Defines gender equality and empowerment as used in the global health agenda, and it explains how these issues influence public health at scale.

"Perpetration of Intimate Partner Violence Associated With Sexual Risk Behaviors Among Young Adult Men" (with M. Christina Santana, Ana La Marche, Hortensia Amaro, Kevin Cranston, and Jay G. Silverman). American Journal of Public Health 96 (2006): 1873-1878.

Examines the relationship between intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration and sexual risk behaviors, as well as fatherhood, among young men. Findings show that participants who reported perpetrating IPV in the past year were significantly more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors such as inconsistent or no condom use, coercing sexual intercourse without a condom, having intercourse with other women, and having fathered three or more children.