What is QuantCrit doing in a nice field like family science?

Abstract

Family science is grappling with the legacy of White supremacy embedded in its theories and methodologies. This presents an opportunity to move beyond traditional theoretical perspectives and statistical approaches that have perpetuated racist assumptions about the inferiority of people of color compared to White Americans. We build on Curtis et al.'s (2022) introduction of Quantitative Criticalism by presenting quantitative critical race theory (QuantCrit) as a critical framework that combines quantitative methods and critical race theory (CRT) to examine issues of racism and race in social science research. Specifically, we (1) make an argument for why QuantCrit is needed in family science, (2) review and critique conventional approaches family scientists have used to analyze racial inequality within the family sciences, (3) offer QuantCrit as an alternative and critical strategy for the quantitative study of racial inequality in family research, and (4) provide examples of how family scientists can leverage QuantCrit to subvert underlying assumptions and practices that perpetuate continued marginalization. We discuss recent research that exhibits elements of QuantCrit in family research to showcase the value of an emerging subfield. QuantCrit provides an opportunity for family scientists studying racial inequality to promote theories, methodological strategies, and policies rooted in social justice.