Kaitlin H. Joshua

Kaitlin H. Joshua

Sociologist, Doctoral Candidate, Research Fellow

I am a PhD Candidate in the Department of Sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. I study reproduction, health and medicine, family, fertility, and the transition to parenthood. I primarily use qualitative methods and mixed survey/ interview methods.

My research agenda analyzes how people experience and interpret transitions in the reproductive life course, particularly the transition to parenthood. I argue that social factors, like gender, race, and class, shape whether, how, when, and why people decide to become parents. These questions have significant implications for reproductive healthcare in the United States.

My in-progress dissertation investigates how married and cohabiting women navigate the transition to parenthood. In this project, I use data from in-depth interviews to make the case for understanding fertility and infertility as a social process, rather than a biological one. You can read more about this project and my other work here.

I expect to complete my Ph.D. in August 2026. I received my M.A. in Sociology from UNC Chapel Hill in May 2024, and my B.A. in Medicine, Health, and Society and Economics from Vanderbilt University in May 2021.

When I’m not working on research projects, I enjoy taking outdoor walks, practicing yoga, and checking out local art galleries and museums — I love visiting the Ackland in Chapel Hill and the Ella West Gallery in Durham!

Cover Art: Twachtman, John Henry. Wild Flowers. n.d., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C., https://www.si.edu/object/wild-flowers:saam_1929.6.146.