Publications [#45473] of Christina M. Gibson-Davis

Journal Articles

1. Gibson-Davis, C.M., Magnuson, K., Gennetian, L., and Duncan, G.J, Does Employment Protect Women From Domestic Violence, Journal of Marriage and Family, vol. 67 (2005), pp. 1149-1168
   (last updated on 2007/12/07)

   Abstract:
   This paper uses data from two randomized evaluations of welfare to work programs – the Minnesota Family Investment Program and the National Evaluation of Welfare-to-Work Strategies – to estimate the effect of employment on domestic abuse among low- income single mothers. Unique to our analysis is the application of a two-stage least squares method, in which random assignment enables us to control for omitted characteristics that might otherwise confound the association between employment and domestic abuse. We find that increased maternal employment decreases subsequent reports of domestic abuse in both studies. In the Minnesota Family Investment Program – a program with an enhanced income disregard that allowed welfare mothers to keep a portion of their welfare income as earnings rose – an increase in household incomes appears to have contributed to reductions in reports of domestic abuse.