Center for Child & Family Policy | Duke University

Christina M. Gibson-Davis

Professor of Public Policy, Sociology, and Psychology & Neuroscience; Director of Undergraduate Studies, Sanford School of Public Policy; Faculty Affiliate, Center for Child and Family Policy

Christina Gibson-Davis is professor of public policy, sociology and psychology & neuroscience. As of July 2018, she is also the director of undergraduate studies at the Sanford School of Public Policy.

Her research focuses on causes and consequences of changing fertility and marriage patterns, including single mothers and marriage versus cohabitation. She is an expert on the causes and consequences of marriage among low-income parents and the health and well-being of low-income children.

Research Interests:
Family Structure, Poverty and Inequality

Education:

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

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

Representative Publications   (More Publications)

1. Gibson-Davis, C (2014). Magic moment? Maternal marriage for children born out of wedlock.. Demography, 51(4), 1345-1356. [repository], [doi]  [abs]


2. Gibson-Davis, C; Rackin, H (2014). Marriage or carriage? Trends in union context and birth type by education. Journal of Marriage and Family, 76(3), 506-519. [repository], [doi]  [abs]


3. Gassman-Pines, A; Ananat, EO; Gibson-Davis, CM (2014). Effects of statewide job losses on adolescent suicide-related behaviors.. American journal of public health, 104(10), 1964-1970. [repository], [doi]  [abs]


4. Rackin, H; Gibson Davis, CM (2012). The role of pre- and postconception relationships for first time parents. Journal of Marriage and Family, 74(3), 526-539. [repository], [doi]  [abs]


5. Ananat, EO; Gassman-Pines, A; Gibson-Davis, C (2013). Community-wide job loss and teenage fertility: evidence from North Carolina.. Demography, 50(6), 2151-2171. [repository], [doi]  [abs]


6. Gibson-Davis, C (2011). Mothers but not wives: The increasing lag between nonmarital births and marriage. Journal of Marriage and Family, 73(1), 264-278. [repository], [doi]  [abs]


7. Gibson Davis, CM; Gassman Pines, A (2010). Early Childhood Family Structure and Mother-Child Interactions: Variation by Race and Ethnicity. Developmental Psychology, 46(1), 151-164. [20053014], [doi]  [abs]


8. Gibson Davis, CM (2008). The Effect of Family Structure on Maternal and Paternal Parenting. Journal of Marriage and Family, 70(2), 452-465. [pdf], [doi]  [abs]


9. Gibson Davis, CM (2009). Money, Marriage, and Children: Testing the Financial Expectations and Family Formation Theory. Journal of Marriage and Family, 71(1), 146-161. [pdf], [doi]  [abs]


10. Gibson Davis, CM; Edin, K; McLahanan, S (2005). High Hopes but Even Higher Expectations: The Retreat from Marriage Among Low-Income Couples. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67(5), 1301-1312. [pdf], [doi]  [abs]

Selected Grant Support

• Marriage and Parenthood in the Lives of Adolescents and Young Adults, William T. Grant Foundation.      
• 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.      

Curriculum Vitae