Office:­

Zemke, Kerstin

Heyen, Isolde

A6 4-401

+49-441-798-2169

Institut für Sozialwissenschaften
Fakultät I
Ammerländer Heerstr. 114-118 
Universität Oldenburg 
D-26111 Oldenburg

Sociology of Social Inequalities

Welcome to the Homepage of the Assistant Professorship for Sociology of Social Inequalities.

The Working Group Social Inequalities investigates the emergence and change of social inequalities from a comparative life course perspective. Of particular interest to us are intra- and intergenerational family processes in the context of different (socio)political frameworks and opportunity structures. The focus is primarily on inequalities in the labor market, in the family, and in the acquisition of education and skills over the life course. In theory-driven, quantitative empirical research, we use longitudinal data such as the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS), pairfam, or the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP). More on current research projects can be found here. The WG cooperates closely with colleagues from various non-university research institutions, including the Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories (LIfBi), the Else-Frenkel-Brunswik-Institute (EFBI) or the Federal Institute for Population Research (BIB).

In teaching, the WG offers various seminars on the dimensions and determinants of social inequality. We are happy to supervise BA or MA theses of students who want to conduct their own empirical analyses.

News

Press

Insights on Family Policy for the US? Prof Zoch in American News Magazine Vox

Prof Dr Gundula Zoch was interviewed by the American news organization Vox about her research on family policy measures in Germany and their impact on working parents, especially mothers. In her conversation with journalist Rachel Cohen, Zoch shed light on the lessons the US could possibly take from Germany's family policy reforms to improve its childcare system. Cohen and Zoch further discussed, why the public childcare system in East Germany supports mothers more effectively than in the West, the role of part-time and full-time employment, and whether declining birth rates could lead to more frugal family policies. 

You can read the article on the background conversation here. There is also a (paywalled) audio version on Apple News which you can find here.

Prof. Dr. Zoch receives price for excellent research

Prize of the University Society Oldenburg e.V. (UGO)

Prof Dr Gundula Zoch receives the Prize for Excellent Research 2024 in the category for Humanities, Social and Cultural Sciences. The award recognizes outstanding, internationally visible research achievements by younger academics at the University of Oldenburg. The prize is awarded annually by the Universitätsgesellschaft Oldenburg e.V. (UGO) and is endowed with 5000 euros.

Gundula Zoch, who has been appointed as assistant professor for the sociology of social inequalities at the Institute of Social Sciences since 2021, uses empirical methods and mostly quantitative survey data to research social inequalities in career, work, education and family over the life course. The jury particularly recognizes her socially relevant research topics, such as the effects of the corona pandemic or the differences between East and West Germany.

More information and impressions here. You can find a video about the UGO prize for excellent research on YouTube.

 

New findings on environmental and climate concerns

Family formation does not alter planetary concerns

In a new study, Prof. Dr. Gundula Zoch and Dr. Nicole Kapelle that, contrary to popular belief, the birth of a child does not necessarily lead to greater environmental and climate concerns. Using long-term survey data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP) from 1984 to 2020, the researchers show that planetary concerns actually decrease, particularly in the first few years after giving birth. There are clear differences for men and women indicating gender-specific relevant burdens and challenges when starting a family.

 

The study is available as a preprint here.

New Research Associate

Johanna Olga Sauer joins AG for Social Inequalities

Johanna Olga Sauer has joined the Working Group for Social Inequality as a doctoral researcher and lecturer in the BA and MA study programs. Ms. Sauer has previously completed a Double Degree Master in Sociology: a Master in Sociology from the Otto-Friedrich-University Bamberg (DE) and an English Research Master in Sociology and Demography from the University Pompeu Fabra Barcelona (ES). In her master's thesis “Waiting for the Golden Years: Differences in Retirement Age between Migrants and Natives in Europe”, she used SHARE data to investigate differences in the retirement age between individuals with and without a migration background.

New publication in Journal of European Social Policy

No persistent Rally-Effect

In many countries, the Covid-19 pandemic has had a major impact on people's lives and has also changed trust in politics, institutions and the media. Using representative data from repeat surveys of the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS), the study conducted as part of the BMBF's Pepp-Cov project shows for the first time for Germany that political trust increased significantly during the first year of the pandemic, particularly in relation to the national executive and legislature. However, a decline in this increase is already evident from spring 2021, without a clear link to local infection rates or stricter infection control measures.

The full article is freely available to read here

Press

Süddeutsche Zeitung reports on changes in political trust following the Covid-19 pandemic

In connection with the state elections in Thuringia and Saxony, the Süddeutsche Zeitung reports on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the growing division within the German society. In the article, Prof. Dr. Gundula Zoch, project leader of the PEPP-COV study, explains the changes in political attitudes as a result of the pandemic. Although trust in politics, the police, and the media increased significantly until early 2021, recent surveys show a marked decline in trust.

You can find the article here (paywall). For members of the University of Oldenburg, the article is available free of charge within the university network.

Press

Media reports about new research results of the WorkMum project

 

In the last few days, numerous media have reported on the new research results of the WorkMum project in cooperation with the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB). The results, published in the journal Bevölkerungsforschung Aktuell 3/2024 by Susanne Schmid, Mathias Huebener, Malin Mahlbacher and Gundula Zoch, show that children of younger mothers in Germany have both lower mathematical and less pronounced socio-emotional skills than children of mothers who were 30 or older at birth. One explanation for this is the lower education and income of younger mothers. You can find a selection of press reports here

Research stay at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra

Susanne Schmid continues her studies on the DFG project "Work Mum" in Barcelona

Susanne Schmid, researcher in the DFG project "Work Mum" (PI Prof. Dr. Gundula Zoch), started her research stay at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona this week. Funded by the prestigious ECSR Visitor Grant, she will spend the next five weeks there to continue her research on the "Work Mum" project, present first results at the Centro de Estudios Demográficos (CED) as well as at DemoSoc and gain new scientific impulses.

New publication in Journal of European Social Policy

Childcare promotes further education participation of mothers

After the birth of a child, mothers significantly reduce their participation in job-related training. A recent publication based on data from the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) shows for the first time that mothers in regions with better childcare services for children under the age of three are more likely to engage in job-related training. The results highlight the crucial role of early childhood care facilities, which can somewhat reduce the negative effects of parenthood at work. The study underscores the importance of family policy measures for lifelong learning, especially in the sensitive phase after starting a family.

The full article is freely available to read here

Radio Interview

Motherhood penalties in job-related training

Fathers are taking on more family responsibilities than before. However, after the birth of a child it is mothers, who reduce their participation in job-related training the most. In an interview with the national German Public Radio, Prof. Dr. Gundula Zoch discusses possible explanatory factors and consequences.

You can listen to the interview here (in German).

New Findings on Political Trust During the Covid Crisis

Political Trust - With Highs and Lows

Two new publications from the BMBF project Pepp-Cov clearly demonstrate how the Covid-19 pandemic has altered trust in politics, institutions, and media in Germany. Using representative data from repeated surveys conducted by the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS), Prof. Dr. Gundula Zoch and Dr. Steffen Wamsler show that political trust significantly increased during the first year of the pandemic, especially concerning the national executive and legislative. However, this increase began to decline as early as the spring of 2021, with no clear explanation linked to local infection rates or government imposed restriction measures.

Individuals with lower levels of education initially experienced a stronger increase in trust. In the pandemic's second year, 2022, trust in the government remained above pre-pandemic levels. In contrast, people in Germany now express less trust in media and the police compared to before the crisis. Notably, the educational differences analysed here are not associated with cognitive abilities but are closely linked to varying levels of digital competencies.

Both studies can be read as preprints here and here als Preprints nachzulesen.

New Publication in Journal of Marriage and Family

Despite more family-friendly policies, couples often still share housework more traditionally

A recent study in the Journal of Marriage and Family examines how the division of unpaid housework between couples after childbirth changes over time as a result of family policy reforms. Using longitudinal data from the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) for Germany, the study shows that mothers still take on significantly more housework than fathers after the birth of a child – despite numerous family policy reforms that aim to foster father’s involvement in the family. However, while traditional role patterns tend to decline in East Germany, with fathers becoming more involved, the gender-typical division of labor remains stronger in West Germany. The study emphasizes the persistent differences and the need for further measures to promote equality in the division of unpaid work after birth.

The full article is freely available to read here.

New Research Associate

Linda Jespersen joins COFONI-project team

Linda Jespersen has joined the AG for Social Inequality as a doctoral researcher in the COVID-19-Forschungsnetzwerks Niedersachsen (COFONI) project „Post-Covid Neurocognition – Monitoring and modelling post-COVID neurocognitive symptom trajectories, determinants and long-term impact on life and work”.  The two-and-a-half-year long research project explores how social inequalities are linked to COVID-19 infection risks and recovery rates, including Long Covid.

Linda Jespersen studied Sociology at the University of Bremen and is currently completing her masters’ degree in Social Sciences at the University of Oldenburg. Her doctoral thesis revolves around the relationship between social inequalities and rates of COVID-19 infection.

New Covid 19 Research Network Lower Saxony (COFONI) Project

Interdisciplinary Investigation of the Long-term Consequences of the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic

Fatigue, attention deficit, and memory impairments – these are just a few of the long-term effects that can result from a Covid-19 infection. However, the impact of socio-economic inequalities for risk of infection and recovery are less clear. What significance do factors such as working conditions, income, marital status, and associated care responsibilities have on risk of infection and recovery from Long Covid? And how does one’s pre-pandemic health status or stratified exposure to infection risks impact the recovery? These critical questions are the focus of a new research project at the University of Oldenburg titled "Post-Covid Neurocognition – Monitoring and modelling post-COVID neurocognitive symptom trajectories, determinants, and long-term impact on life and work". The Social Inequalities research group (PI Prof Dr Gundula Zoch) will primarily focus on examining the role of social determinants and consequences of Covid-19. The project, set to run for 2.5 years, has been granted about €650.000 in funding from the  Covid 19 Research Network Lower Saxony`s (Cofoni) research line "Interdisciplinary Investigation of the Long-term Consequences of the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic". The team will soon be advertising a PhD Position (65%). Interested candidates are invited to contact the working group Sociology of Social Inequalities via email. More information can be found here.

BA- und MA-Thesis

New Guide for Writing a Final Thesis Online

Interested students who would like to write a thesis in the field of social inequality can find more information on writing and registration here. Further information on the dates of the colloquium can be found at the beginning of the semester in StudIP.

Interview on Equal Pay Day and International Women's Day

Improving the Gender Care Gap is Essential for Reducing the Gender Pay Gap

Why is unpaid work only valued when it is done outside of the family? Why do women who perform important care work earn so little? In a radio interview, Prof Dr Gundula Zoch discusses the significance of care work in the context of gender pay inequality and the poverty of older women. The conversation touches on political measures that aim to promote gender equality, such as incentives for fathers to take parental leave. But are these incentives sufficient? The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the additional challenges women face due to inequalities in care work. How can we address these issues? Could evaluating parenting work in pension calculations or changing the division of labor in the care sector help? The fact is: improving the gender care gap is essential for reducing the gender pay gap.

You can listen to the interview here (minute 45:10, in German).

New Publication in Journal of Educational Research (ZfE)

Polarizing or reducing social inequalities? The COVID-19 pandemic and participation in job-related training

The study shows, based on longitudinal data from the NEPS-Starting Cohort 6, that the Covid-19 pandemic has slightly reduced participation in job-related further education in Germany. The decline was more pronounced in the area of non-formal further education and for informal learning in attendance-based events than for informal learning with analogue or digital media. While reading specialist literature decreased moderately, learning on computers and the internet remained surprisingly stable during the pandemic. Despite the lack of on-site learning opportunities and the reluctance of many companies to invest in further education, the crisis did not lead to a collapse in overall participation in job-related further training. Due to greater declines in participation among employed individuals with initially very high participation rates, the originally strong social, professional, and company-related differences have even slightly decreased with the pandemic.

The full article is freely available to read here.

German Sociological Association - Sections Family Sociology

Prof Dr Gundula Zoch elected to speakers committee

The results of the November election for the speaker panel of the Family Section of the German Sociological Association are in: Gundula Zoch will be taking on the role of speaker alongside Anne Kristin Kuhnt, Nicole Hiekel, and Zachary van Winkle. Congratulations and many thanks to all re-elected and newly elected members and their work for the association.

New Project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education

Covid-19 pandemic and political attitudes and participation

The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly changed social, economic, political, and cultural life. But how have political attitudes and associated societal and political participation actually changed and in what contexts? What social and regional disparities are significant in this regard? These questions are being examined by the new BMBF project Pepp-Cov, led by Prof Dr Gundula Zoch and Dr Johannes Kiess (University of Leipzig). The three-year project focuses on the question of how educational trajectories and acquired competencies are related to growing social inequalities during the COVID-19 pandemic and thus alter political attitudes as well as societal and political participation. The BMBF is funding the joint project with about 600,000 € for 3 years. Starting in February 2023, the collaborative research project will be conducted under the scientific lead of Gundula Zoch at the Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories and the Else Frenkel-Brunswik Institute for Democracy Research at the University of Leipzig.

New Publication in Work, Employment & Society

Participation in Job-Related Training: Is There a Parenthood Training Penalty?

The impact of parenthood on participation in job-related training is the subject of a recent publication in Work, Employment & Society. Using longitudinal data from the National Education Panel Study (NEPS), the paper shows that the birth of a child reduces the participation in job-related training in Germany. The parenthood training penalties are particularly pronounced for mothers.

The full article is freely available to read here.

New Research Associate     

Susanne Schmid joins DFG-funded research project

Susanne Schmid has joined the AG for Social Inequality as a doctoral researcher in the DFG-funded WorkMum project. The three-year research project investigates the role of maternal labor markets and mothers’ workplace contexts for childrens’s development.

Susanne Schmid studied sociology and communication sciences at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich and worked at the German Youth Institute after completing her master's degree. Since 2021, she has been a doctoral candidate at Bamberg Graduate School of Social Sciences at the University of Bamberg. In her doctoral thesis, she examines the causes of educational inequalities.

Job advertisement

Two student assistant positions

Are you interested in social issues, do you work independently and carefully, and would you like to be actively involved in conducting and communicating scientific research? Apply now! The research group Social Inequality of Prof. Dr. Gundula Zoch is looking for two student assistants starting in October/November 2022. They will support the team in various research projects and in the preparation of teaching.

For more information, please see the job advertisement.

Press

Prof. Gundula Zoch in a podcast interview on the gender pay gap

What needs to happen so that women and men in Germany are finally paid equally for equal work of equal value? How do we set the course for fair pay in the working world of tomorrow? How do shorter working days create equal career opportunities for women and men? These questions are examined in the Equal Pay Day Podcast with Prof. Dr. Gundula Zoch.

Currently, the gender pay gap is 18 percent, or 66 calendar days of unpaid work for women. The next Equal Pay Day will therefore take place on March 7, 2023. The Equal Pay Day campaign, an initiative of Business and Professional Women (BPW) Germany e.V. sponsored by the German Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ), draws attention to the existing gender pay gap even beyond the campaign day. More at: https://www.equalpayday.de/

BA- und MA-Thesis

New Guide for Writing a Final Thesis Online

Interested students who would like to write a thesis in the field of social inequality can find more information on writing and registration here. Further information on the dates of the colloquium can be found at the beginning of the semester in StudIP.

Research Visit & Consultation Hours during the Semester Break

Prof. Dr. Gundula Zoch as a Visiting Researcher at the University of Oxford

Prof. Dr. Gundula Zoch will spend the semester break as a visiting researcher at the Department of Sociology at the University of Oxford. Consultation hours will therefore be offered online only. Please send a short email with your questions and three suggested appointments.

New DFG Project

Working Mothers and Child Development

The employment of mothers has increased significantly in many industrialised countries, and therefore over time family life and the environment in which children grow up have changed. The compatibility of work and family varies considerably with employment conditions, e.g. due to occupation, workplace, region and by social groups. This can result in significant differences in children's early learning environments. But what exactly are the influences of employment conditions and local labour markets on child development? This question is being investigated in a new DFG project led by Prof. Dr. Gundula Zoch and Dr. Mathias Hübener (DIW Berlin). As things stand, the DFG funding amounts to a total of around 440,000 € and is scheduled to run for 36 months from autumn 2022. Two PhD student positions (65%) and student assistantships will be offered soon. Interested parties are invited to contact the working group Sociology of Social Inequalities via email. More information can be found here.

BA and MA Theses

New Colloquium for Final Theses Starting SS 2022

Starting in the summer semester of 2022, the working group Sociology of Social Inequalities will offer a supporting colloquium for writers of a BA or MA thesis. In the colloquium, methods of scientific working will be revised and deepened, and the contents of the theses will be discussed together. This way, students can also support each other in the preparation of their theses.

Those interested in writing a thesis in the field of social inequality can find more information on the topic agreement and registration here. Further information on the dates of the colloquium will be uploaded in StudIP at the beginning of the semester.

Prof. Dr. Gundula Zoch becomes Fellow of the Work and Family Researchers Network (WFRN)

International Network for Work and Family Research launches new Fellowship Round

As part of the Early Career Fellowship Program, Prof. Dr. Gundula Zoch will be in regular contact with over 500 international WFRN Fellows who are also conducting research on the compatibility of family and work. Acceptance as a Fellow is accompanied by an invitation to the WFRN Conference in New York. This year's conference, entitled "Work-Family Justice: Practices, Partnerships & Possibilities", is dedicated to the current challenges of reconciling work and family.

The US-American Work and Family Researchers Network (WFRN) has been networking academic work and family researchers from a broad range of fields worldwide since 2010. The network's comprehensive and multifaceted program supports doctoral researchers in their research and teaching, in expanding their academic network and their long-term careers.

New Publication in Gender, Work & Organization

Reduced Well-being during the COVID-19 Pandemic – the Role of Working Conditions

How the Corona pandemic affects the satisfaction of men and women is the subject of a recent publication in the journal "Gender, Work & Organisation". Using data from the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS), the authors show that the life satisfaction of all respondents dropped significantly during the pandemic. Childless women and mothers are hit particularly hard. Faced with closed schools and childcare facilities, mothers often assume responsibility for childcare more than fathers. Societal concerns and feelings of loneliness also weigh more heavily on the life satisfaction of women than that of men.

The complete article is freely accessible here.

Nomination for Rosabeth Moss Kanter Award 2021

Prof. Dr. Gundula Zoch Nominated for Award of Work- and Family Research

The Rosabeth Moss Kanter Award for Excellency in Work-Family-Research nominates outstanding research articles in the field of family and work research every year.

The award is given to English-language publications in international journals with outstanding use of methods and strong theoretical references. In her publication, Prof. Dr. Gundula Zoch examines how educational inequalities in the labour force participation of mothers have changed against the background of the expansion of daycare centres in East and West Germany. The results show that mothers with higher educational qualifications in particular benefit from more childcare options. The article was published in the Journal of European Social Policy.

The nominated article is freely accessible here. Further information on the Rosabeth Moss Kanter Award nominations can be found here.

New Publication in Zeitschrift für Weiterbildungsforschung - Journal for Research on Adult Education

Work-related online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany

The COVID-19 pandemic has made access to face-to-face learning opportunities – the most common form of adult learning – impossible. This gap could be filled by learning opportunities via apps or online videos that are flexibly available in terms of time and space.

Against this background, a team of researchers from the University of Oldenburg, LIfBi, WZB and IAB is investigating the extent to which employees have increased their use of online learning opportunities in the first months of the pandemic. Based on data from the National Education Panel (NEPS), the study show that the use of work-related online learning opportunities did indeed increase during the first months. At the same time, however, educational inequalities in the use of such opportunities also increased. Above all, respondents with a university degree use the opportunity of online learning significantly more often.

The complete article is freely accessible here.

New Assistant Professorship

Dr. Gundula Zoch appointed Assistant Professorship for Sociology of Social Inequalities

Dr. Gundula Zoch is appointed Assistant Professorship for Sociology of Social Inequalities at the Institute for Social Sciences of the University of Oldenburg. She was previously a research associate at the Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories (LIfBi) in Bamberg. Dr. Zoch will continue her association with the LIfBi as a Research Fellow in order to implement ongoing and upcoming research projects.

After studying sociology and economics in Leipzig and London, Dr. Zoch worked as a research assistant at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) in Berlin. She was then a doctoral scholar at the Bamberg Graduate School of Social Sciences at the University of Bamberg, funded by the German Excellence Initiative. She received several awards for her dissertation thesis, which dealt with the expansion of childcare in East and West Germany. In 2020, she also received the Bettina Paetzold Teaching Award from the University of Bamberg.

In her research, Dr. Zoch deals with the causes and consequences of social inequalities in employment and family work. Her empirical analyses of large longitudinal surveys such as the National Education Panel focus on continuing differences between East and West Germany, for example in maternal employment or prevailing role models. In third-party funded projects, she is currently investigating the effects of the Corona pandemic and how job loss and employment insecurity influence the development of children.

(Changed: 26 Nov 2024)  | 
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