Federal programs like Head Start reduce poverty and increase upward mobility, UCLA study shows

Participants in social safety net programs had higher rates of employment, were less reliant on public assistance

Head Start children were significantly more likely to finish high school and enroll in and finish college than peers who entered first grade without access to the program, the study shows. / Natalie Choi- Wikimedia Commons

Citlalli Chávez-Nava

As federal social safety net programs face elimination or budgetary reductions under the new administration, a UCLA report has found some of the boldest War on Poverty programs launched in the 1960s and 1970s reduced poverty and improved upward mobility and well-being.

Launched in 1964 by President Lyndon Johnson’s administration, the War on Poverty represented one of the largest and most comprehensive attempts to improve well-being in United States history. The administration invested billions of dollars in education, health, employment and community development initiatives — including Head Start, an expanded food stamp program, family planning programs and community health centers. The campaign targeted the roots of poverty, seeking to provide a “hand up, not a handout.”

The study, recently published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, looks at how access to these programs for children in the 1960s and 1970s shaped the outcomes and living circumstances of tens of millions of adults today, using newly available large-scale data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Social Security Administration. The decades-long research was led by Martha Bailey, professor of economics and director of the California Center for Population Research at UCLA.

Head Start, which aimed to reduce poverty and still serves 1 million children today, offers early education to preschool and kindergarten-aged children, nutritious meals and referrals to health and other social services. But for decades, evaluating the program’s success in helping children escape poverty was difficult since researchers faced data challenges in identifying valid comparison groups.

Using the newly available data, researchers measured Head Start’s success in terms of children’s later-life educational attainment, work in professional occupations, participation in the labor force and wage earnings. Researchers compared children who were born a few months too soon to enroll during Head Start’s initial rollout with children who did enroll. Head Start children were significantly more likely to finish high school and enroll in and finish college than peers who entered first grade without access to the program (Figure 1). The results also show that cohorts with access to Head Start experienced lower rates of adult poverty, had higher rates of employment and were less likely to have received public assistance.

“It’s important to consider the long-run consequences of public programs,” Bailey said. “Investing in children is like planting a seed. Many of the programs starting in the 1960s are still having measurable effects today.”

Based on analyses of hundreds of on-the-ground programs across the U.S., the report also found:

Greater access in a child’s early years to the Food Stamps Program, known today as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, was associated with significant increases in educational attainment, economic self-sufficiency, and neighborhood quality and reductions in physical disability. The timing and duration of early food stamps access also impacted outcomes. (Figure 2)
Federal family planning programs affected children’s resources and long-term outcomes. The programs allowed parents to delay childbearing and to find more stable partners and better-paying jobs, reduced their dependence on public assistance and decreased their likelihood of being in poverty.
Community health centers located in disadvantaged neighborhoods resulted in significant declines in age-adjusted mortality, particularly from cardiovascular disease among adults over 50. These reductions in mortality were highly persistent, decreasing the gap in mortality between the poor and non-poor by 20% to 40% for 25 years. Today, these programs continue as federally qualified health centers.

“The data show that U.S. poverty rates, health, human capital and employment outcomes would have been worse today without the substantial investments made under the War on Poverty,” Bailey said. “In many cases, the benefits of the programs well exceeded their costs.”

This story was originally published in UCLA’s Newsroom, here.

‘I feel very lucky that I know what I care about’

Victoria Gutierrez’s senior research examines how Salton Sea residents organize to overcome poverty, environmental challenges

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Of the people she met and interviewed in the Salton Sea, Gutierrez said, she was inspired by their determination “to do better for themselves, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles.” Photo: Sean Brenner/UCLA Humanities

Sean Brenner | May 7, 2025

The research project Victoria Gutierrez is completing as a UCLA senior was inspired by a set of photographs she saw years before she set foot on campus.

As a 14-year-old, Gutierrez came across pictures of Salvation Mountain, the massive, colorfully painted folk art installation in the midst of a barren desert landscape in the Salton Sea region of southern California.

“I remember thinking, ‘What is this place? I have to go there,’” she said. The thought stayed with her over the next few years, and she pondered the small communities of people living there.

“It’s very beautiful, but it’s very desolate, plants don’t really grow and it’s known for having toxic dust that comes from the Salton Sea,” Gutierrez said. “I just wondered, how do people live there, how do they cook, how do they do this? Those questions just lived in my brain for a long time.”

Shortly after Gutierrez arrived at UCLA — the Rhode Island native transferred in 2023 from Saddleback College — the opportunity to explore those questions arose. Determined to pursue her own research project, she set up a meeting at the Undergraduate Research Center. It was there that a UCLA graduate student named Jewell Humphrey suggested that Gutierrez think about what questions she had always wanted to find answers to.

The Salton Sea came immediately to mind.

After she discussed possible research approaches with UCLA anthropology professors Jason De León and Jason Throop, Gutierrez had a concept for a sophisticated anthropological study. The project, which is supported by the UCLA/Keck Humanistic Inquiry Undergraduate Research Program, focuses on how residents of Bombay Beach and Slab City cope with the ecological damage, extreme poverty and limited government support they face — and how they organize in an attempt to overcome those challenges.

“Victoria’s project seeks to understand the experiences of those living on the margins in rural California and how people attempt to build community in places where infrastructure, poverty and climate change work to disrupt social networks,” said De León, who also has a faculty appointment in Chicana and Chicano studies and is a member of the Cotsen Institute of Archeology.

“As we move into a new era of climate change whereby the haves and have-nots differentially experience things like droughts, rising temperatures and other catastrophic environmental events, projects such as Victoria’s will become increasingly important. I applaud her for tackling such an important social issue.”

Victoria Gutierrez

Over the past year, Gutierrez has conducted dozens of interviews with residents and spent weeks living among them, even volunteering at a cooling center — a climate-controlled trailer where locals can escape the oppressive heat.

“I’d do 12-hour shifts, just making sure the air conditioning was on,” she said. “People would come in, and I would get to talk to them for really long periods of time.”

Initially, Gutierrez planned to focus on the role of climate change in the region, but she changed gears when she realized residents were more focused on their efforts to improve their communities. One woman she interviewed was applying for grants to build a park in Bombay Beach.

“I was really inspired by how these people kept wanting to do better for themselves, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles,” said Gutierrez, a political science major and anthropology minor.

Her study also highlights the stark realities of poverty. Many residents told her they had ended up in the area mostly because they had nowhere else to go. She recounted the story of one woman, Belinda, who had been arrested as a teenager and never had access to formal education.

“She is functionally illiterate, has no degree and suffers from severe health conditions,” Gutierrez said. “If she lived in L.A., she’d probably be in far worse conditions. But in Bombay Beach, she’s welcomed and seen as a respectable member of society.”

Victoria Gutierrez

Gutierrez’s study is timely: In January, a judge cleared the way for a long-planned project that will mine large amounts of lithium from the ground beneath the Salton Sea. Lithium is an essential component of electric car batteries, mobile phones and numerous other products, and the region is said to have an enormous supply, so the potential economic benefits are obvious. But the possible ecological consequences, in particular, have worried locals and environmental activists.

“It’s really curious that the first meaningful efforts to clean up the Salton Sea are happening just two years after it was declared the largest domestic deposit of lithium,” Gutierrez said.

And although the communities of the Salton Sea face an unusual set of challenges, Gutierrez said her research has made clear that the region holds lessons for everyone, no matter where they live.

“One of my biggest takeaways is that we’re all a lot closer to being in a situation like Bombay Beach than we think,” she said. “With climate change, wildfires and economic instability, these issues aren’t as far removed as they seem.”

Gutierrez is still deciding what her next steps after graduation will be, but one way or another, she’s determined to continue studying the region. “I love the Salton Sea,” she said. “I feel very lucky that I know what I care about.”

This story was originally published via UCLA Humanities.

UCLA’s Aomar Boum inducted into the National Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco

UCLA Anthropology

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Abel Valenzuela, Aomar Boum and Stephen Acabado (left to right) at National Academy ceremony of the Kingdom of Morocco./UCLA Anthropology

Aomar Boum, professor of anthropology and of Near Eastern languages and cultures at UCLA, was inducted into the National Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco at a ceremony held April 24 in Rabat, Morocco.

It was a moment that brought together so many parts of his life, connecting his early years in Morocco to his years of scholarship and community building abroad. True to form, Boum began his remarks by thanking the mentors, colleagues, friends and family members who had guided and supported him throughout his scholarly and personal growth.

“That introduction was overwhelming in the best way. I truly can’t thank my mentors and family enough for their support,” Boum said.

It was also a proud and emotional moment for Boum’s colleagues who have witnessed his dedication and impact over the years.

“Aomar’s work has always shown us how community histories are deeply tied to landscapes. It’s only fitting that our new UCLA-UIR (Université Internationale de Rabat) Highland Ecology Project in Morocco builds on his legacy — centering local knowledge, memory, and the environment,” said Stephen Acabado, fellow professor of anthropology and chair of the UCLA’s Archaeology Interdepartmental Program, who attended the ceremony.

Boum’s induction represents “scholarship that crosses borders and connects communities.”

Born in Foum Zguid, in Tata province, Boum’s early experiences in a Saharan Amazigh community shaped the way he approaches history, identity and belonging. Today, he holds appointments in the departments of anthropology, history and Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at UCLA. His research has centered on the complexities of religious and ethnic minorities in North Africa, and his work has challenged and broadened the narratives about Jewish-Muslim relations across the Middle East and North Africa.

At the induction ceremony, Boum delivered a lecture that captured the spirit of his scholarship: Salham, Jeans, and Kaftan: Sartorial and Fashion Narratives of Moroccan Jewish Immigrants in North America. In this talk, he explored how the Moroccan Jewish community in Los Angeles integrated into the larger LA community through global fashion trends, positioning themselves not on the margins but as notable contributors to the city’s economy. Boum introduced the concept of “sartorial syncretism” to describe how Moroccan Jewish immigrants negotiated and reshaped cultural identities through fashion, using the marketplace and style as vehicles for integration, entrepreneurship and cultural impact.

“His lecture was an eye-opening and textured portrait of migration, identity and economic creativity — areas where Aomar’s work continues to open new conversations,” said Acabado.

The ceremony was made even more meaningful by the presence of UCLA Division of Social Sciences Dean Abel Valenzuela, who traveled to Morocco to honor Boum’s achievements. Dean Valenzuela’s attendance reflected the respect Boum commands not only at UCLA but also globally.

“It was a complete honor to be in attendance to celebrate Professor Boum,” said Dean Valenzuela. “His research represents what UCLA does best — engaged, interdisciplinary scholarship that crosses borders and connects communities.”

Boum’s election to the National Academy affirms the significance of his work and the reach of his scholarship. It is also a proud moment for anthropology, especially among his colleagues in the Department of Anthropology at UCLA, who have long recognized the depth and impact of his contributions.

“Boum’s work reminds us how histories of migration, belonging and creativity can reshape how we understand our shared worlds,” added Acabado.

Marilyn Raphael elected to the National Academy of Sciences

Raphael is a professor of geography and the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA

Adapted from UCLA Newsroom

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Ashley Kruythoff/UCLA

Marilyn Raphael, professor of geography within UCLA’s Division of Social Science, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences for her achievements in original research. Raphael joins three other UCLA professors who form part of a new class of 120 members and 30 international members, the academy announced on April 29.

Membership in the academy is among the most prestigious honors in the United States scientific community, requiring election by a scholar’s peers. The nongovernmental organization now has 2,662 active members, who can be called on by the federal government to provide their expertise on issues regarding science and technology.

Raphael is a climate scientist who studies global climate change, atmospheric circulation, and the complex dynamics behind how and why Antarctica’s sea ice levels vary from season to season. Her recent research indicates that melting Antarctic Sea ice is becoming far less likely to recover, suggesting the continent’s ice system is undergoing a major transformation.

“It is a tremendous honor to be elected to the National Academy of Sciences,” she said. “I feel grateful to have my research and service be valued so highly by the community. I look forward to working with the academy to advance its mission of ‘fostering a broad understanding of science,’ especially in the Antarctic.”

Raphael is the author of more than 60 academic papers, many of them highly cited, and is the co-author of “The Encyclopedia of Weather and Climate Change: A Complete Visual Guide,” which received the Most Popular Book award from Atmospheric Science Librarians International. Her work and writing continues to shape both academic inquiry and public understanding of polar climate dynamics.

A UCLA faculty member since 1998, Raphael is the former director of the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability and the former chair of UCLA’s geography department. A past president of the American Association of Geographers and former co-chair of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research’s expert group on sea ice processes, Raphael serves on the National Academies Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate and is co-lead of the World Climate Research Programme’s Polar Climate Predictability Initiative.

In addition to her research, she has been active in mentoring students and advocating for the inclusion of traditionally underrepresented groups in climate science.

This story was adapted from an article originally published via UCLA’s Newsroom.

2 UCLA Social Science faculty elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Adapted from UCLA Newsroom

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Right to left: Marjorie Harness Goodwin (anthropology) and Jeffrey Lewis (political science).

Distinguished research professor of anthropology Marjorie Harness Goodwin and Professor of Political Science Jeffrey Lewis have been selected to the American Academy of Arts, one of the nation’s most prestigious honorary societies. They are among four UCLA faculty and nearly 250 artists, scholars, scientists and leaders in the public, nonprofit and private sectors chosen for membership this year.

The academy serves as an independent research center convening leaders from across disciplines, professions and perspectives to address significant challenges, with the aim of producing independent and pragmatic studies that inform national and global policy and benefit the public.

They will be inducted in October at the academy’s headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Marjorie Harness Goodwin
Distinguished research professor of anthropology

Goodwin, a linguistic anthropologist, focuses on how language, touch and other embodied practices shape human interactions. Her work has examined how members of children’s peer groups, families and workplace groups use everyday language and communication to construct social order, express intimacy and navigate ideas about moral behavior. Through her research and influential books, including “The Hidden Life of Girls,” “He-Said-She-Said” and “Embodied Family Choreography,” Goodwin has helped advance our understanding of human social dynamics and the ways people use their language, their bodies and their emotions to manage relationships and create meaning.

Jeffrey Lewis
Professor of political science

Lewis, a political scientist, investigates foundational questions of democratic representation and develops innovative methods for analyzing political behavior. His research explores how preferences can be deduced from behavior. He is also a leading figure in political methodology, contributing tools that have reshaped how scholars study legislatures and electoral politics. As the curator of Voteview.com — a platform that provides free data and tools for analyzing roll call voting in the U.S. Congress — he helps advance public and scholarly understanding of ideological polarization and legislative behavior. Lewis has served as president of the Society for Political Methodology and as an editor of the American Political Science Review, helping to shape the direction of research in the discipline. Through his empirical rigor and public scholarship, Lewis has played a pivotal role in elevating both the accessibility and sophistication of political science research.

Read American Academy of Arts & Sciences announcement here.

Learn more via UCLA Newsroom coverage here.

Park Williams named 2025 Guggenheim Fellow

Adapted from UCLA Newsroom

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Photo Credit: John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

Park Williams, professor of geography within UCLA’s Division of Social Sciences, was named a 2025 Guggenheim Fellow on April 15.

Williams, who holds a joint appointment in the UCLA Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, is a hydroclimatologist who uses statistical analyses of climate data, reconstructions of past ecosystem behavior and a detailed understanding of plant ecology to study the impacts of climate on Earth’s water and land systems.

His research aims to improve our understanding of how climate change influences the hydrological cycle and ecological dynamics and how extremes like drought, floods, heat waves and wildfires affect life on the planet. Williams, who runs the HyFives research lab at UCLA, was awarded a MacArthur ‘genius’ grant in 2023.

Williams joins four other UCLA faculty members among a distinguished group of 198 scholars, scientists and creative professionals from the U.S. and Canada selected to receive 2025 Guggenheim Fellowships announced by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. The new fellows were chosen from a pool of more than 3,500 applicants.

The prestigious awards, now in their 100th year, recognize scholars in 53 disciplines across the creative arts, social sciences, natural sciences and humanities who have demonstrated exceptional achievement in their fields and show great promise for future endeavors.

Learn more about this year’s UCLA Guggenheim Fellows via UCLA Newsroom’s coverage here.

Watch— Tariffs and Trade Wars: Impacts of the Changing Economic-Political Relationship Between Canada and the U.S.

American and Canadian economic and policy experts discussed the impacts of the current trade tension

UCLA Social Sciences

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UCLA’s Department of Geography and UCLA’s Canadian Studies hosted an Ursus Symposium titled, Tariffs and Trade Wars: Impacts of the Changing Economic-Political Relationship Between Canada and the U.S., on Wednesday, March 26.

During the panel discussion, American and Canadian economic and policy experts shared their perspective on how current trade tensions between these nations could affect the economies, the public and environments of both nations.

Since implementation of the NAFTA and USMCA trade agreements, the United States and Canada had experienced three decades of closer economic integration, relatively harmonious trade and mutual economic benefits. Yet, under the second Trump administration, the U.S. has announced punishing tariffs on Canadian goods — including on resources such as energy. President Trump has also threatened to annex Canada to make it the “51st state.” In turn, Canada has announced reciprocal tariffs on U.S. goods, and attitudes toward the United States as a reliable trading partner and ally have turned sharply negative.

The panel discussion featured:

Kristen Hopewell, Canada Research Chair in Global Policy, School of Public Policy and Global Affairs Director, Liu Institute for Global Issues University of British Columbia.

Brett House, Professor of Professional Practice in Economics, Columbia Business School Senior Fellow, Canada’s Public Policy Forum Senior Fellow, University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy Senior Fellow, Massey College.

Jerry Nickelsburg, Faculty Director, UCLA Anderson Economic Forecast.

Glen MacDonald FRSC, UCLA Endowed Chair in Geography of California and the American West Chair, UCLA Canadian Studies Program (Discussion Moderator)

Co-sponsored by UCLA’s Division of Social Sciences and UCLA’s International Institute, the event was streamed live via Zoom.

The Ursus Symposium at UCLA is a series of events, often environmental in nature, featuring UCLA scientists and experts discussing pressing issues, like climate change and coastal conservation, with a focus on Southern California.

Latino USA: The Real Lives of Human Smugglers with Jason De León

The episode featuring Jason De León and his book “Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling” aired on March 14, 2025.

UCLA Social Sciences

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UCLA professor Jason De León who won the 2024 National Book Award for Nonfiction for his book “Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling” discussed his book on a recent episode of Latino USA with host Maria Hinojosa.

Drawing on seven years of on-the-ground ethnographic research and interviews, “Soldiers and Kings” gives voice and unprecedented context to the people, most of them young men, who make a precarious living smuggling migrants from Central America and Mexico into the United States.

During the interview, De León talked about the sociopolitical conditions that drive human smuggling: “I think people fail to realize that human smuggling is the outcome of border policies, changes in border security, the drive to have undocumented labor in the United States. Smuggling is responding to those things,” he said. “All these guys, they know that human mobility is unstoppable. There is nothing you can do to stop people who are desperate to find some new and better place.”

Listen to the full interview here.

De León is the director of UCLA’s Cotsen Institute for Archaeology and professor of anthropology and Chicana/o and Central American studies within UCLA’s Division of Social Sciences. In 2017, he was a 2017 MacArthur Genius fellow.

Gregory Okin named fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science

Adapted from UCLA Newsroom

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UCLA Institute of the Environment & Sustainability

Professor Gregory Okin, chair of UCLA’s Department of Geography, is among a group of ten UCLA researchers recently named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest multidisciplinary scientific society, the association announced on March 27.

Okin joins 471 newly elected AAAS fellows recognized for their significant contributions to the advancement of science and its applications in service to society. They will be celebrated at a forum in Washington, D.C., June 7.

This year’s class of fellows are the embodiment of scientific excellence and service to our communities,” said Sudip S. Parikh, CEO of AAAS. “At a time when the future of the scientific enterprise in the U.S. and around the world is uncertain, their work demonstrates the value of sustained investment in science and engineering.”

Okin, a member of the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, studies how physical, chemical and biological processes act across landscapes to produce observed environmental patterns and how these patterns modulate large-scale interactions within the Earth system. Much of his research, which makes heavy use of remote sensing and spatial modeling, focuses on plant-soil-atmosphere interactions in the world’s drylands, which cover 40% of the Earth’s land surface.

Founded in 1848, the nonprofit association, which publishes Science and its family of related peer-reviewed journals, has more than 120,000 members across nearly 100 countries and includes more than 250 affiliated societies and academies of science serving 10 million members.

This story was adapted from an article originally published via UCLA’s Newsroom.

Inside a UCLA course on gender in motorsports

A Fiat Lux seminar examines the roles of women in motorsports, exploring gender, strategy and cultural narratives

Brazilian driver Aurelia Nobels competes in the F1 Academy series, an all-women single-seater racing series. Nobels has backing from Scuderia Ferrari./ Photo Credit: PUMA

Kayla McCormack

On a Tuesday evening in Rolfe Hall, a small group of UCLA students settled into their seats. A simple question — “Did you follow motorsports before enrolling?” — sparked an enthusiastic exchange about favorite Formula 1 teams and drivers. One student, raised by a McLaren-loving father, shared that his recent dive into the sport had converted him to a proud tifosi – a supporter of Ferrari and one of their drivers, Charles Leclerc.

This personal connection is what makes Motorsports and Society, a Fiat Lux seminar, so impactful. Co-taught by motorsports historian Steven Meckna; Sharon Traweek, associate professor of gender studies and history; and Fred Ariel Hernandez, lead scientist for the UCLA Disability Studies Sports and Society Lab, the course offers students an interdisciplinary lens on motorsports, with a particular focus on gender and representation from World War II to today.

Fiat Lux seminars are one-unit, discussion-based courses, designed to foster intellectual curiosity in a small class setting. They connect students with leading UCLA faculty and allow them to explore timely and complex topics — like motorsports through the lens of society, culture, and STEM. In recent years, women have worked in prominent and decision making-capacities in motorsports, particularly in strategy — an area Hernández and Meckna saw as paralleling broader increases in women’s representation in science, technology, engineering and math. They proposed the course idea to Traweek, and the three collaborated to develop the course.

As part of the content, students watched an interview with Bernie Collins, former head of race strategy for Aston Martin F1 Team and current Sky Sports commentator. Collins spoke about the intense pressure of strategizing during a race but also reflected on how race strategy has become one of the technical areas in motorsports where women have consistently thrived.

“We wanted students to hear directly from someone who’s worked both on and off the pit wall,” said Meckna, a retired history teacher and longtime women’s sports coach. “Collins offers insight into how demanding a strategist’s job is, but also how strategy has created more space for women, compared to some other roles that require extensive travel due to the rigorous Formula 1 race calendar.”

After watching the clip, Meckna pushed students to think critically about why these roles have seen more female representation than others, such as race engineering. Students pointed to the structure of the roles themselves — strategy positions can rotate more regularly, Collins suggested. In contrast, engineers, who serve as a driver’s primary point of contact during a race, typically spend over a decade developing their expertise and must travel extensively throughout the season, attending nearly every grand prix.

“Children,” one student said plainly, prompting nods around the room. The class explored how the physical demands, intense schedules and lack of institutional support can still pose barriers for women.

Yet even amid these constraints, progress has accelerated. “Not long ago it would have been almost unthinkable to have a woman in a senior technical position in an F1 team,” Meckna said. “Today, it is rare not to see one. This corresponds with the increasing numbers of women in STEM fields. I’m not trying to be Pollyannaish about it — we’re still light years from anything resembling equality — but steps forward have been big and fast.”

The 2025 Formula 1 season, which kicked off earlier this month in Australia, is particularly historic. Haas’ Laura Mueller is now the first female race engineer in F1 history, working with driver Esteban Ocon.

“In professional motorsports, where most drivers are men, there are women with decision-making power,” Meckna said. “Hannah Schmitz at Red Bull makes calls that will win or lose a race for her team. So does Laura Mueller. The same was true when Leena Gade led the engineering team at Audi during their phenomenal run of success.” Gade became the first female race engineer to win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Progress on the driver side has been slower. There have been successful female racing drivers across IndyCar and endurance racing in recent years, including Danica Patrick and Lyn St. James, though no woman has started a Formula 1 Grand Prix since Lella Lombardi the 1970s.

“Part of this is numbers,” Meckna said. “There are many times more men than women in junior categories of racing. That is starting to change, though. More girls are now competing in karts, the first step on the road to Formula 1.”

Meckna credits these changes, in part, thanks to the unprecedented institutional support for women racers today. The F1 Academy, launched in 2023, was created specifically for this purpose. Each Formula 1 team is required to support a woman in the series, which opens opportunities for female racers to access the training, technology, telemetry, race simulation machinery and qualifying and race day routines of the top professionals in the sport.

“The history of motorsports mirrors broader societal shifts in gender equity,” Hernández said. “In the Sports and Society Lab, we’re interested in how structural changes, like educational access, media representation and community and institutional support increase inclusive opportunities for people with disabilities and women as athletes and in technical roles. This class gives students the tools to examine those systems within motorsports.”

From left: Former racer Susie Wolff and three-time F1 champion Niki Lauda share a smile. Wolff is now the F1 Academy managing director. / Photo Credit: Thomas Ormston/Wikimedia Commons.

Cultural shifts are underway not only in the paddock but also in the stands. Several students shared that their interest in motorsports and the class itself was sparked by the Netflix docuseries “Drive to Survive,” which has expanded Formula 1’s U.S. fan base, especially among women. Today, F1 fans are estimated to be around 40% female, up from just 8% in 2017, as well as significantly more culturally diverse, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said in 2022.

By connecting historical barriers with contemporary breakthroughs, the seminar helps students trace how representation in motorsports has shifted and where challenges remain. The course equips students to explore what progress looks like and to critically examine what else is possible.

“There’s so much potential to build on this,” Traweek said. “Motorsports intersect with engineering, emergency medicine, gender studies, environmental science and more. I know we all have hopes to see this course expand into a larger offering.”

This story was originally published in UCLA’s Newsroom, here.