Christina J. Cross is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Harvard. Her research falls at the intersection of families, race/ethnicity, and social inequality. Using a variety of quantitative methods, she examines how the family, one of the oldest social institutions, shapes individuals’ life chances. In particular, she explores how family structure, change, and dynamics influence individuals’ educational and economic outcomes, especially among minoritized and/or low-income populations in the U.S. She has also written extensively about exchanges of social support among extended relatives, both within and across American households. Her scholarship employs a life course approach, and much of it is concentrated on childhood as a key stage of development for the accumulation of social advantages or disadvantages.

Cross’ work has appeared in outlets such as Social Problems, Demography, and the Journal of Marriage and Family. Her forthcoming book, with Harvard University Press, examines heterogeneity in the effects of family structure on children’s wellbeing. Her research been supported by organizations including the Spencer Foundation, the National Science Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the JPB Foundation, and the Social Science Research Council. It has received awards from the American Sociological Association, the Population Association of America, the National Council on Family Relations, the Society for the Study of Social Problems, ProQuest, and the Midwest and Southern Sociological Societies. Cross holds a PhD in Public Policy and Sociology from the University of Michigan.