Verta Taylor

Verta Taylor developed the concept of abeyance structures to explain how social movements survive during periods of low visibility and public inactivity. She theorized that networks and collective identities preserve a movement's core goals until a more favorable political climate emerges.

Verta Taylor is an American sociologist whose research extensively covers social movements, gender, sexuality, and feminist activism. She is particularly well-known for her historical research on the women's rights movement and the gay and lesbian rights movement.

In her 1989 book "Rock-a-by Baby: Feminism, Self-Help, and Postpartum Depression," Taylor used the women's self-help movement to demonstrate abeyance structures. She showed how the grassroots feminist health movement sustained the broader women's rights struggle during times when national political momentum stalled.

Verta Taylor has held significant leadership positions, serving as the president of the American Sociological Association. She also spent a large portion of her teaching career at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she directed the Center for the Study of Social Movements.