Researcher spotlight: Christina Cross
Analyzing the impact of family structure on inequality by race
This Black History Month, Standard Error is pleased to highlight the work of Dr. Christina J. Cross, researcher and assistant professor of sociology at Harvard University.
In her forthcoming book Stories Untold: African American Two-Parent Families and the Myth of Racial Equality, recently edited by the Standard Error team, Cross challenges assumptions long held by US policymakers and society about a purported antidote to American poverty: the “two-parent household.”
Cross’s research shows that the presence of two parents at home disproportionately benefits white children, with smaller impacts on kids from minority households. Cross shows how socioeconomic factors, as well as the involvement of extended family in children’s lives, significantly shape how they fare educationally and economically.
Are two parents always better than one?
In her research, Cross seeks to answer urgent questions about the roots of racial inequality in the United States: Why do white families have double the wealth of Black two-parent families? Why are Black children raised by both parents three times as likely to experience poverty as their white peers? Why is there little difference in the academic achievement of Black children from low-income households regardless of whether one or both parents are present?
According to Cross, the two-parent family is a generally beneficial structure for children, but she questions why Black families reap fewer benefits from it. This question is especially relevant because, as Cross states in a 2019 New York Times column, “Black Americans have the highest rates of single-parenthood and nonmarital births in the country, and this divergence from the two-parent family ideal is routinely implicated in the lower levels of educational attainment and higher rates of poverty and unemployment within the Black community.”
Notably, Black children do earn better grades and are less likely to be suspended on average when they have both parents at home and are financially well off. Cross highlights these disparities to underscore that other, nonfamily factors are at play.
How does access to resources impact stability and opportunity?
In a paper from November 2019, Cross finds that differences in socioeconomic resources account for up to 50% of the gap in educational outcomes between children from two-parent minority families and children from two-parent white families. “These findings,” Cross states, “lend support for the socioeconomic stress hypothesis, which posits that the negative effect for familial disruption may be less independently impactful for racial/ethnic groups facing many socioeconomic disadvantages to begin with.” Socioeconomic stress is not directly relieved by the presence of two parents in the home, and thus minority children often must face its adverse effects regardless of whether they live with one or both parents.
Beyond the nuclear family: The role of extended relatives
Black extended families tend to live closer together than white extended families and often offer one another emotional and practical support. In a paper published in 2018, Cross finds that “57 percent of Black and 35 percent of Hispanic children ever live in an extended family, compared with 20 percent of white children.” In her 2019 paper, Cross finds that extended family involvement could account for 15–20% of the gap between white and minority children in the positive effects of a two-parent household. Cross hypothesizes that these family relationships could protect children from some of the effects of parental absence in the home.
While the two-parent household has long been promulgated as the ideal family structure in the American cultural and policy spheres, it is worth considering the merits of a devoted and loving extended family for the well-being of children.
Socioeconomic stress is not directly relieved by the presence of two parents in the home, and thus minority children often must face its adverse effects regardless of whether they live with one or both parents.
The policy connection
Historically, US policies have promoted the two-parent household as the gold standard, often overlooking the nuances of how race, socioeconomic status, and extended family dynamics influence youth outcomes, in isolation and together. Cross’s work challenges policymakers to consider the limitations of a one-size-fits-all approach to family support.
For example, welfare policies that prioritize two-parent households may inadvertently exacerbate disparities by overlooking the unique challenges faced by Black and minority families. These policies could better support children by addressing the socioeconomic stress that disproportionately affects these families. Policymakers can create more equitable solutions that take into account the complex realities of family life across different racial and socioeconomic groups. Cross suggests that employment discrimination and housing segregation shouldn’t be treated separately in welfare policies.
Advocating for a new paradigm
Christina Cross’s research provides an essential perspective on the complex relationship between family structures, race, and socioeconomic status in the United States. By challenging conventional wisdom and revealing the factors that influence family well-being, she is paving the way for more inclusive and effective policies that address the needs of American families.
—Hannah Hancock contributed to the development of this blog post.
