Catherine Guirkinger is a professor of economics at the University of Namur (UNamur). Her research focuses on development economics and economic history, with a particular emphasis on gender and family structures, often in the African context. She primarily relies on original data collection or archival sources to study how historical institutions and changes in the economic or policy environment shape socio-economic outcomes.

Her recent work examines the short- and long-term impacts of colonial policies in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including pro-birth, education or taxation policies. In a parallel research line, she investigates how shifts in economic and legal environments affect relations within families, including marriage negotiations, divorce patterns, intimate partner violence, and decision-making processes.