Kristi Williams

Professor Kristi Williams is a Professor and Vice-Chair in the Department of Sociology at The Ohio State University, serving as Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs. Her research focuses on family dynamics, health disparities, and the intersection of marital status, parenthood timing, and socioeconomic factors. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin and has held leadership roles including Editor of the Journal of Marriage and Family and Senior Scholar at the Council on Contemporary Families.

Education:

• Ph.D., Sociology, University of Texas at Austin, 2000
• Postdoctoral Fellowship, Center on Demography and Economics of Aging, NORC/University of Chicago

Research Interests: Explores how family structures and relationships influence health across the life course, emphasizing gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Key areas include:

• Consequences of nonmarital and early fertility
• Impact of marital/cohabitation transitions on health
• Racial disparities in health outcomes
• Policy implications of family structure

Recent Articles: Focus on maternal health trajectories, pandemic-era employment challenges for mothers, intergenerational effects of adverse childhood experiences, and demographic trends in fertility and marital status. These studies challenge conventional assumptions about marriage promotion policies and highlight systemic inequities.

Awards and Roles:

• Editor, Journal of Marriage and Family (since 2017)
• Senior Scholar, Council on Contemporary Families
• Former Chair, ASA Sociology of Mental Health Section

Grants and Advising: Secured NIH funding for studies on early fertility consequences. Advises students in family sociology and demography. Teaches hybrid undergraduate courses emphasizing interactive learning.

Labs/Teams: Collaborates with interdisciplinary teams on family health research and policy analysis through her editorial and scholarly leadership roles.