Christina J. Cross

Christina J. Cross is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Harvard University and a faculty affiliate of the Center for Population and Development Studies and the Department of African and African American Studies. She is currently on leave for the 2025-26 academic year.

Her research examines the family's role in shaping people's life chances and how its impact differs by their structural position in society. Specifically, she explores how family structure, family change, and family dynamics influence individuals' educational and economic outcomes—with special attention to if, how, and why these relationships differ by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Cross' groundbreaking work challenges the narrative that two-parent families eliminate racial inequality, demonstrating that Black children raised in two-parent homes still face significant disadvantages compared to their white counterparts.

Her research has been published in top journals including Social Problems, Demography, and the Journal of Marriage and Family. Her forthcoming book, Inherited Inequality (Harvard University Press, September 2025), presents extensive longitudinal data showing that while two-parent households increase household income and parental involvement, these benefits are racially skewed, with Black children still faring worse than white children in educational and economic outcomes.

Her research has been supported by major funding organizations:

• Russell Sage Foundation
• Spencer Foundation
• National Science Foundation
• Ford Foundation
• Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
• JPB Foundation
• Social Science Research Council

Cross has received prestigious awards from:

• American Sociological Association
• Population Association of America
• National Council on Family Relations
• Society for the Study of Social Problems
• ProQuest
• Midwest Sociological Society
• Southern Sociological Society

She holds a PhD in Public Policy and Sociology from the University of Michigan. Her work represents a decisive refutation of welfare policies that favor marriage counseling over economic assistance, arguing that focusing on family structure distracts from addressing the systemic racism that creates persistent opportunity gaps regardless of family structure.