Professor Heejung Chung

Professor Heejung Chung completed her PhD in Sociology at the ReflecT, Tilburg University and AIAS/HSI, University of Amsterdam, her MSc in Research in Social Policy from Edinburgh University’s School of Social and Political Studies and her MSW major in Social Policy and BA in Social Welfare from Yonsei University.

Professor Chung's research visits and training have included Manchester University, Social Science Research Centre in Berlin (WZB), Germany, Essex University and Aalborg University, Denmark.

Professor Chung’s interest lies in examining different labour market patterns and outcomes across European welfare states. More specifically she is interested in exploring gender inequalities both in the labour market and at home, and the role different labour market policies such as flexible working arrangements have in changing these relationships.

She was the principal investigator of the ESRC funded project, Work Autonomy, Flexibility and Work-life Balance, and is the author of the book Flexibility Paradox: why flexible working leads to (self-) exploitation, published by Policy Press.

Professor Chung's key interests include

• European welfare states and labour markets
• Subjective employment insecurity
• Working time flexibility and job autonomy
• Work-life balance and work-family conflict
• Gender equality and gender norms
• Cross-national data and European data 
• Multi-level modelling and other advance quantitative methods
• Policy and document analysis.

Recent impact work 

• Please see: Professor Chung's website

Current projects

• See Professor Chung's website for full details.  
  

Undergraduate

• Gender, Work and Equality - SOCI5440
• A Future for the Welfare State? Social Change, Challenge and Crisis – SAPO5030
• Health Care and Well-being – SAPO 3010
• Social Policy and Social Control - SAPO3000
• Fundamentals of Sociology - SOCI3370

Postgraduate

• Comparative Social Policy - SOCI8720
• Key Issues in Comparative Social Policy - SOCI8770  

Professor Chung would be interested in supervising students in the theme of labour market, gender equality and welfare state policy issues.

Current PhD students include:

• Alafaka Tobin (2018-) - 'Burn out and migration intention among physicians in Nigeria'

Previous PhD students include:

• Jane Hyojin Seo (2018-2021) - 'Feminization of Outside Labour Market in Europe
• Gianna Maria Eick (2017-2020) - 'Attitudes towards immigrants among higher educated population'
• Marc Wigley (2013 -2019) - 'Social capital, welfare and well-being: implications for the social economy'
• Eva Kleinert (2014 - 2018) – ‘Linking Varieties of Capitalism and gender labour market inequality’ (passed viva) - currently a Senior Researcher with the Scottish Government
• Yeosun Yoon (2011 - 2016) - 'Varieties of labour division: segmented labour markets and divided workforce in the UK' (passed viva with minor corrections) - currently a Senior Research Associate at the University of Bristol
• Taehoon Lee (2012- 2015) - 'New and Old Risks in Korean Social Policy: the case of the National Pension Scheme' (Mphil) - currently head of section at the National Pension Service in Korea 

Recent Awards and Prizes

• Rosabeth Moss Kanter Award for Excellence in Work/Family Research 2019: Long-listed
  
• Rosabeth Moss Kanter Award for Excellence in Work/Family Research 2017: top 5 finalist
• Academic Champion 2015: University of Kent 50th anniversary award
• Rosemary Crompton Prize 2010: Work Employment Society Conference Best Paper Prize 

Recent editorial

• Associate Editor for the Journal Social Policy & Administration (2019 -)
• Editorial Board member for the Journal of Korean Welfare State and Social Policy (11/2016 - current)
• Co-editor of the Policy Press Book Series ‘Research in Comparative and Global Social Policy’ (2016 - current)
• Editorial Board member for the journal Social Policy & Administration (2015 - current)

Professor Chung has reviewed papers for several journals including; American Sociological Review, Social Forces, Work and Occupations, European Sociological Review, British Journal of Industrial Relations, Journal of European Social Policy, International Journal of Social Welfare.

Board membership

• Executive board member for the Work and Families Researchers Network (WFRN) (2019 - 2022) 
• Executive board member for the European Social Policy Analysis Network (ESPAnet) (2019 - current) 

Media

• Flexible working and gender equalities - a ThinkKent video
• Professor Chung talks about whether flexible working can reduce the gender pay gap Flexible working and the gender pay gap
• Flexible working - a ThinkKent video lecture (2016)

Professor Chung's frequent media appearances are listed on her website.