Joseph D. Wolfe

Joseph d. wolfe

Welcome to my website! I'm an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Alabama Birmingham. I have a Ph.D. in Sociology and an M.S. in Applied Statistics from Indiana University Bloomington. Broadly speaking, I'm a medical sociologist who examines issues related to social stratification, the life course, and health in the U.S. I'm currently working on projects investigating (1) the links between adult children's educational attainment and their aging parents' longevity, (2) explanations of the association between debt and midlife health, and (3) the shifting social determinants of health disparities across historical contexts.

select publications

Wolfe, Joseph D., Mieke Beth Thomeer, and Shawn Bauldry. 2024. “Twentieth Century Change in the Educational Costs of Adolescent Childbearing.” American Journal of Sociology 129(6): 1763-1791.

Wolfe, Joseph D., Mieke Beth Thomeer, and Rin Reczek. 2023. “Age at First Birth and Women's Midlife Health: Cohort and Race Differences Across the 20th Century.” Social Science & Medicine 301:1-9.

Wolfe, Joseph D. 2022. “The Financial Correlates of Midlife Obesity.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 63(1): S18-S27.

Wolfe, Joseph D., Elizabeth H. Baker, Jalal Uddin, and Stephanie Kirkland. 2022. “Varieties of Financial Stressors and Midlife Health Problems, 1996-2016.” The Journals of Gerontology: Series B 77(1): 149–159

Wolfe, Joseph D. and Mieke Beth Thomeer. 2021. “Divorce, Economic Resources, and Survival Among Older Black and White Women.” Journal of Marriage and Family 83:173-190.

Wolfe, Joseph D., Elizabeth H. Baker., and Isabel C. Scarinci. 2019. “Wealth and Obesity Among U.S. Adults Entering Midlife.” Obesity 27: 2067-2075.

Wolfe, Joseph D., Shawn Bauldry, Melissa A. Hardy, and Eliza K. Pavalko. 2018. “Multigenerational Attainments, Racial Inequalities, and the Mortality of Silent Generation Women.” Journal of Health and Social Behavior 59: 335-351.

Pavalko, Eliza K., and Joseph D. Wolfe. 2016. “Do Women Still Care? Cohort Changes in U.S. Women's Care for the Ill or Disabled.” Social Forces 94: 1359-1384.

Wolfe, Joseph D. 2009. “Age at First Birth and Alcohol Use.” Journal of Health and Social Behavior 50: 395-409.

other stuff

More media on our AJS article at Misssissippi Today
New UAB Reporter article, "Study highlights changing impact of teen childbirth on women’s education across generations," about our AJS article.
Great UAB Reporter piece on our paper, "Varieties of Financial Stressors and Midlife Health Problems, 1996–2016"
My discussion about “Multigenerational Attainments, Race, and Mortality Risk among Silent Generation Women” with the SAGE for Sociology podcast
Here's a short article about my research on Health and Wealth for the Publich Health Post