Christina M. Gibson-Davis, Professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy

Please note: Christina has left the "Public Policy Studies Major" group at Duke University; some info here might not be up to date.

Christina M. Gibson-Davis is a professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University, with a secondary appointment in sociology. Her research interests center around social and economic differences in family formation patterns. Her current research focuses on the how divergent patterns of family formation affect economic inequality.

Contact Info:

Office Location:	228 Rubenstein Hall, Box 90312, Durham, NC 27708
Office Phone:	(919) 613-7364
Email Address:
Web Page:	https://sanford-files.cloud.duke.edu/sites/default/files/Gibson-Davis%20CV%202022_summer.pdf

Teaching (Spring 2024):

• PUBPOL 495S.06, HONORS SEMINAR Synopsis

  Sanford 09, F 03:20 PM-05:50 PM

• PUBPOL 495S.07, HONORS SEMINAR Synopsis

  Sanford 225, F 03:20 PM-05:50 PM

Education:

Ph.D.	Northwestern University	2001
M.A.	Northwestern University, Evanston, IL	2001
B.A.	Bates College	1992

Specialties:

Public Policy
Family Structure
Sociology
Poverty and Inequality
Psychology and Social Psychology

Research Interests: Class differences in family formation; family formation and inequality

Areas of Interest:

Family Formation Behaviors
Health and Wellbeing of Low Income Families

Keywords:

Economic Recession • Educational Status • Family • Family Characteristics • Fertility • Marriage • Public Assistance • Public Policy • Socioeconomic Factors

Curriculum Vitae

Current Ph.D. Students   (Former Students)

• Sarah C. Fuller  
• Ashley K. Brown  
• Lane Destro  
• Heather Rackin  

Representative Publications   (More Publications)

1. Gibson-Davis, C, Magic moment? Maternal marriage for children born out of wedlock., Demography, vol. 51 no. 4 (August, 2014), pp. 1345-1356, ISSN 0070-3370 [repository], [doi]  [abs]
2. Gibson-Davis, C; Rackin, H, Marriage or carriage? Trends in union context and birth type by education, Journal of Marriage and Family, vol. 76 no. 3 (January, 2014), pp. 506-519, WILEY, ISSN 0022-2445 [repository], [doi]  [abs]
3. Gassman-Pines, A; Ananat, EO; Gibson-Davis, CM, Effects of statewide job losses on adolescent suicide-related behaviors., American journal of public health, vol. 104 no. 10 (October, 2014), pp. 1964-1970, ISSN 0090-0036 [repository], [doi]  [abs]
4. Rackin, H; Gibson Davis, CM, The role of pre- and postconception relationships for first time parents, Journal of Marriage and Family, vol. 74 no. 3 (2012), pp. 526-539, WILEY, ISSN 0022-2445 [repository], [doi]  [abs] [single parents]
5. Ananat, EO; Gassman-Pines, A; Gibson-Davis, C, Community-wide job loss and teenage fertility: evidence from North Carolina., Demography, vol. 50 no. 6 (December, 2013), pp. 2151-2171, ISSN 0070-3370 [repository], [doi]  [abs] [job loss]
6. Gibson-Davis, C, Mothers but not wives: The increasing lag between nonmarital births and marriage, Journal of Marriage and Family, vol. 73 no. 1 (February, 2011), pp. 264-278, WILEY, ISSN 0022-2445 [repository], [doi]  [abs] [single parents]
7. Gibson Davis, CM; Gassman Pines, A, Early Childhood Family Structure and Mother-Child Interactions: Variation by Race and Ethnicity, Developmental Psychology, vol. 46 no. 1 (2010), pp. 151-164 [20053014], [doi]  [abs] [early childhood, family structure]
8. Gibson Davis, CM, The Effect of Family Structure on Maternal and Paternal Parenting, Journal of Marriage and Family, vol. 70 no. 2 (2008), pp. 452-465, ISSN 0022-2445 [pdf], [doi]  [abs] [family structure]
9. Gibson Davis, CM, Money, Marriage, and Children: Testing the Financial Expectations and Family Formation Theory, Journal of Marriage and Family, vol. 71 no. 1 (2009), pp. 146-161, WILEY, ISSN 0022-2445 [pdf], [doi]  [abs] [economics]
10. Gibson Davis, CM; Edin, K; McLahanan, S, High Hopes but Even Higher Expectations: The Retreat from Marriage Among Low-Income Couples, Journal of Marriage and Family, vol. 67 no. 5 (2005), pp. 1301-1312, WILEY, ISSN 0022-2445 [pdf], [doi]  [abs] [economics, family structure]

Selected Grant Support

• Marriage and Parenthood in the Lives of Adolescents and Young Adults, William T. Grant Foundation, 8061.      
• Beyond Test Scores: Schooling and Life-Course Outcomes in Early Adulthood, Smith Richardson Foundation, Inc..      
• Centers for Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research, EPA.