Catherine
Pakaluk
American economist, social philosopher, author, and mother of eight.
Catherine Ruth Pakaluk is an American economist and social philosopher at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
She completed her doctoral work in economics at Harvard University under Nobel laureate Oliver Hart. A mother of eight, she collaborates closely, personally and professionally, with her husband, American philosopher Michael Pakaluk. They split their time between suburban Maryland and New Hampshire’s White Mountains.
Mrs. Pakaluk is author of the groundbreaking ethnography Hannah’s Children: The Women Quietly Defying the Birth Dearth (Regnery, 2024).
This multidisciplinary narrative account focuses on the American women choosing to have large families against the global low-fertility trend.
Hannah’s Children was more than five years in the making, after Pakaluk’s 2018 viral tweet about her early stage research gave rise to the phenomenon #postcardsformacron—a worldwide reaction against French President Emmanuel Macron’s UN declaration that “perfectly educated” women would not have large families.
Catherine’s economic research spans education models, social and religious capital, and societal fertility considerations.
In social philosophy, she explores Catholic social thought, political economy, and the works of Edith Stein. Notably, she received the Heritage Foundation’s Freedom and Opportunity Prize in 2023 and the Acton Institute’s Novak Award in 2015 for her contributions to understanding religion’s role in economic liberty.
Born in the north Chicago suburbs in 1976, Dr. Pakaluk’s writing reflects the full breadth of American experience, addressing liberalism, individualism, and the nation’s founding spirit.
Her insights into culture, marriage, family, and education have made her a compelling speaker across college campuses in collaboration with the Thomistic Institute of the Dominican House of Studies and other institutional partners.
Dr. Catherine Pakaluk is an observer at the crossroads of natural life and economics, where motherhood and family meets market forces.
Outside her formal work, Mrs. Pakaluk is an enthusiast of sourdough baking, sharing her creations with her community and her loved ones under the cottage label “Sparrow’s Table,” which emphasizes organic ingredients. Her passion also extends to hiking with her family in New Hampshire’s wilderness and appreciating Santa Fe’s culture and landscapes.
Mrs. Pakaluk and her husband Michael are parents to fourteen children —six from Michael’s first marriage to Ruth Pakaluk (deceased in 1998)—and eight from their marriage in 1999. The Pakaluks know a thing or two about the joys of a large family. Dr. Pakuluk’s motto is “make bread or make babies”.
Their grown children, spouses, and 29 grandchildren currently reside in the states of California, Colorado, Florida, North Carolina, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Texas. The Pakaluks are quick to accept speaking invitations which bring them near family—or mountains—or both! The Pakaluks live in the University Park area of Hyattsville, Maryland, with their four remaining school-aged children, two loyal doggies, and the best of neighbors.
Hannah’s Children: The Women Quietly Defying the Birth Dearth
Regnery, 2024
Can a Catholic Be A Socialist?
Catholic Answers Press, 2020
Faithful Measure: Gauging Awareness of the Catholic Church’s Social Doctrine
CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2015
Freedom and Opportunity Prize, Heritage Foundation
2023
Novak Award, Acton Institute
2023
To contact Dr. Pakaluk for speaking engagements, collaborations, or other opportunities involving Catherine’s expertise in economics, family dynamics, and societal trends to your event or project, please fill out the form below or email pakalukc@cua.edu.