Marta seeks to find out why some groups of people don't succeed as well as others. She examines how populations change, why they change, and the consequences of change.

Like a detective, Marta Tienda uses clues to search for answers. She gets these clues by studying facts (data) gathered from existing population surveys. Marta then feeds the data into a computer and "crunches" the numbers to find out how one part of a person's life, such as education, relates to another part, such as earnings. She looks at the patterns of change to understand how inequality comes about and what needs to be changed to reduce inequality.

Marta is very concerned with fairness: why some people get lots of opportunities and others are shut out. Through her work, she finds answers that can help policy makers be sure every person has an equal shot at a good education.