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Social Demographer
Brazil, South Africa, United States

Biography

Letícia Marteleto is a social demographer who uses data, cultural knowledge and sociological theory to understand inequality and its intersections with fertility, education and health. Letícia Marteleto is Penn Presidential Compact Professor at the Department of Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania, where she is also a research affiliate of the Population Studies Center and a faculty member in the Graduate Group in Demography.

Her work is motivated by the central question of how social and economic disadvantages and demographic change intertwine in low- and middle-income countries with persistently high levels of inequality at times when widely held social and demographic norms are in flux. In her latest research, Marteleto has been examining how structural shocks such as the Zika and COVID-19 novel infectious disease crises impact women’s lives. She is currently the principal investigator of DZC (Demographic Consequences of Epidemics in Brazil), an R01 funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

The goal of this large data collection effort in Zika’s epicenter (and, later, one of COVID-19’s epicenters), Brazil, is to answer a number of questions about women’s reproductive outcomes in the face of epidemics. Have women changed their reproductive preferences and behaviors in response to the Zika epidemic? Have women from different socioeconomic backgrounds responded differently to the fear of the Zika epidemic? The findings have shown that many women in Brazil feared the intrauterine consequences of Zika infection and attempted to avoid pregnancy. Disadvantaged women, however, more often faced obstacles to contracepting. This resulted in differing fertility patterns during the epidemic, with the sharpest declines in births observed among highly educated and younger women. Findings were covered by national and international media and through op-eds (The Conversation, The Washington Post, Austin American-Statesman and Houston Chronicle), interviews (The Economist, BBC News) and in invited lectures nationally and internationally (Stanford, UCLA, and London School of Economics). Now, those findings have an extended life by providing important insights into how the back-to-back Zika and Covid-19 public health crises have profoundly changed how women go about their reproductive preferences and behaviors, suggesting a scarring effect of one novel infectious disease outbreak to another.

Marteleto’s research is also breaking methodological ground by implementing an innovative data collection effort that includes a combination of contact and non-contact modes of interview during and after the pandemic. She and her team are following a population-representative sample of women (the first panel in Brazil) via phone, Whatsapp, web, and face-to-face. The project also includes focus groups and semi-structured interviews.

Marteleto’s work has appeared in flagship journals in sociology, demography and other disciplines, such as Demography, Population and Development Review, Social Forces and Plos-One. Professor Marteleto’s research has been funded by several foundations, such as the National Institute of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, and the Spencer Foundation. Prior to the University of Pennsylvania, Marteleto taught at the University of Texas, the University of Michigan and Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil.

Activities

Employment (2)

University of Pennsylvania: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US

2023-07-01 to present | Professor (Department of Sociology & Population Studies Center)
Employment
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto

The University of Texas at Austin: Austin, TX, US

2009-08-01 to 2023-06-30 | Professor (Sociology)
Employment
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto

Education and qualifications (1)

University of Michigan: Ann Arbor, US

1997-08-01 to 2001-09-14 | PhD (Sociology)
Education
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto

Funding (1)

Reproductive Responses to the Zika Virus Epidemic in Brazil

2018-09 to 2024-08 | Grant
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (Md., Md., US)
GRANT_NUMBER:

5R01HD091257-03

Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto

Works (42)

Income loss and fertility intentions during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil

Revista Brasileira de Estudos de População
2024-12-06 | Journal article
Contributors: Letícia Junqueira Marteleto; Molly Dondero; Luiz Gustavo Fernandes Sereno; Raquel Zanatta Coutinho
Source: check_circle
Crossref

Can the Content of Social Networks Explain Epidemic Outbreaks?

Population Research and Policy Review
2023-02 | Journal article
Contributors: Alexandre Gori Maia; Jose Daniel Morales Martinez; Leticia Junqueira Marteleto; Cristina Guimaraes Rodrigues; Luiz Gustavo Sereno
Source: check_circle
Crossref

Scars from a Previous Epidemic: Social Proximity to Zika and Fertility Intentions during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World
2023-01 | Journal article
Contributors: Leticia J. Marteleto; Molly Dondero; Andrew Koepp
Source: check_circle
Crossref

Fertility trends during successive novel infectious disease outbreaks: Zika and COVID-19 in Brazil

Cadernos de Saúde Pública
2022 | Journal article
Contributors: Leticia Junqueira Marteleto; Luiz Gustavo Fernandes Sereno; Raquel Zanatta Coutinho; Molly Dondero; Sandra Valongueiro Alves; Ryan Lloyd; Andrew Koepp
Source: check_circle
Crossref

Parent involvement and children's academic achievement: Evidence from a census of public school students in Brazil

Child Development
2022-11 | Journal article
Contributors: Andrew E. Koepp; Elizabeth T. Gershoff; Letícia J. Marteleto
Source: check_circle
Crossref

Zika virus public health crisis and the perpetuation of gender inequality in Brazil

Reproductive Health
2021-12 | Journal article
Part of ISSN: 1742-4755
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto

Scars from a Previous Epidemic among White and Black Women: Social Proximity to Zika and Fertility Intentions During the Covid-19 Pandemic

2021-04-28 | Preprint
Contributors: Leticia Marteleto; Molly Dondero; Andrew koepp
Source: check_circle
Crossref

Intersections of Adolescent Well-Being: School, Work, and Weight Status in Brazil

Journal of Health and Social Behavior
2021-03 | Journal article
Part of ISSN: 0022-1465
Part of ISSN: 2150-6000
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto
grade
Preferred source (of 2)‎

Navigating women’s reproductive health and childbearing during public health crises: Covid-19 and Zika in Brazil

World Development
2021-03 | Journal article
Part of ISSN: 0305-750X
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto

Identifying hidden Zika hotspots in Pernambuco, Brazil: A spatial analysis

2021-03-17 | Preprint
Contributors: Laís Picinini Freitas; Rachel Lowe; Andrew E. Koepp; Sandra Valongueiro Alves; Molly Dondero; Letícia J. Marteleto
Source: check_circle
Crossref

The short-term impacts of coronavirus quarantine in São Paulo: The health-economy trade-offs

PLOS ONE
2021-02-17 | Journal article
Part of ISSN: 1932-6203
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto

Live Births and Fertility Amid the Zika Epidemic in Brazil

Demography
2020-06-01 | Journal article
Part of ISSN: 0070-3370
Part of ISSN: 1533-7790
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto

The Educational Consequences of Adolescent Childbearing and Union Formation in Brazil

Studies in Family Planning
2018-09 | Journal article
Part of ISSN: 0039-3665
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto

Why social perception matters during disease outbreaks: looking at how individuals understand the Zika virus by self-reported history of infection

Cadernos de Saúde Pública
2018-09-21 | Journal article
Part of ISSN: 1678-4464
Part of ISSN: 0102-311X
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto

Signifying Zika: heterogeneity in the representations of the virus by history of infection

Cadernos de Saúde Pública
2018-06-07 | Journal article
Part of ISSN: 1678-4464
Part of ISSN: 0102-311X
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto

Gender, Socioeconomic Status, and Diet Behaviors within Brazilian Families

Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World
2018-01 | Journal article
Part of ISSN: 2378-0231
Part of ISSN: 2378-0231
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto

Maternal Household Decision-Making Autonomy and Adolescent Education in Honduras

Population Research and Policy Review
2017-06 | Journal article
Part of ISSN: 0167-5923
Part of ISSN: 1573-7829
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto

The Weight of Inequality: Socioeconomic Status and Adolescent Body Mass in Brazil

Social Forces
2017-06 | Journal article
Part of ISSN: 0037-7732
Part of ISSN: 1534-7605
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto

Women's Reproductive Intentions and Behaviors during the Zika Epidemic in Brazil

Population and Development Review
2017-06 | Journal article
Part of ISSN: 0098-7921
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto

Educational stratification after a decade of reforms on higher education access in Brazil

Research in Social Stratification and Mobility
2016-12 | Journal article
Part of ISSN: 0276-5624
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto

Racial Inequality in Education in Brazil: A Twins Fixed-Effects Approach

Demography
2016-08 | Journal article
Part of ISSN: 0070-3370
Part of ISSN: 1533-7790
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto

Family Ties and Young Fathers' Engagement in Cape Town, South Africa

Journal of Marriage and Family
2015-04 | Journal article
Part of ISSN: 0022-2445
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto

The Educational Achievement of Brazilian Adolescents

Sociology of Education
2014-01 | Journal article
Part of ISSN: 0038-0407
Part of ISSN: 1939-8573
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto

The Implications of Family Size for Adolescents' Education and Work in Brazil: Gender and Birth Order Differences

Social Forces
2013-09-01 | Journal article
Part of ISSN: 0037-7732
Part of ISSN: 1534-7605
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto

Family Instability and Pathways to Adulthood in Cape Town, South Africa

Population and Development Review
2013-06 | Journal article
Part of ISSN: 0098-7921
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto

The Influence of Older Classmates on Adolescent Sexual Behavior in Cape Town, South Africa

Studies in Family Planning
2013-06 | Journal article
Part of ISSN: 0039-3665
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto

Maternal age at first birth and adolescent education in Brazil

Demographic Research
2013-04-10 | Journal article
Part of ISSN: 1435-9871
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto

Desigualdades de oportunidades educacionais dos adolescentes no Brasil e no México

Revista Brasileira de Estudos de População
2012-12 | Journal article
Part of ISSN: 0102-3098
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto

The Changing Impact of Family Size on Adolescents’ Schooling: Assessing the Exogenous Variation in Fertility Using Twins in Brazil

Demography
2012-11-01 | Journal article
Part of ISSN: 0070-3370
Part of ISSN: 1533-7790
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto

Educational Inequalities among Latin American Adolescents: Continuities and Changes over the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s

Research in Social Stratification and Mobility
2012-09 | Journal article
Part of ISSN: 0276-5624
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto

Educational Inequality by Race in Brazil, 1982–2007: Structural Changes and Shifts in Racial Classification

Demography
2012-02-01 | Journal article
Part of ISSN: 0070-3370
Part of ISSN: 1533-7790
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto

Desigualdades sociais, redes de sociabilidade e participação política

Revista de Administração Contemporânea
2010-12 | Journal article
Part of ISSN: 1982-7849
Part of ISSN: 1415-6555
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto

Family size, adolescents’ schooling and the Demographic Transition: Evidence from Brazil

Demographic Research
2010-08-20 | Journal article
Part of ISSN: 1435-9871
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto

Sexual Behavior, Pregnancy, and Schooling Among Young People in Urban South Africa

Studies in Family Planning
2008-12 | Journal article
Part of ISSN: 0039-3665
Part of ISSN: 1728-4465
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto

Stages of the Demographic Transition from a Child's Perspective: Family Size, Cohort Size, and Children's Resources

Population and Development Review
2008-06 | Journal article
Part of ISSN: 0098-7921
Part of ISSN: 1728-4457
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto

The Changing Transitions to Adulthood in Developing Countries

National Academies Press
2006-12-08 | Book
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto

A Escolaridade das Crianças Brasileiras Durante a Transição Demográfica: Aumento no Tamanho da Coorte versus Diminuição no Tamanho da Família

Pesquisa e Planejamento Econômico (PPE)
2006-09 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto

Cairo Conference

Encyclopedia of International Development
2004 | Encyclopedia entry
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto

Demographic Transition

Encyclopedia of International Development
2004 | Encyclopedia entry
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto

O Papel do Tamanho da Família na Escolaridade dos Jovens.

Revista Brasileira de Estudos Populacionais
2002 | Journal article
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto

Las Abuelas Como Proveedoras de cuidado infantil en Brasil

Procesos Sociales, Población Y Vida Domestica: Alternativas Teóricas y Empíricas en las Investigaciones sobre la Familia.
2001 | Book chapter
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto

Brazil and the South Cone

The Encyclopedia of American Immigration
2000 | Encyclopedia entry
Source: Self-asserted source
Leticia Marteleto