GRADUATION TALK ▼

A SMOOTH TRANSITION

AN INTERVIEW WITH ANSGAR HUDDE

▐ In an interview, Ansgar gives us a brief insight into the findings of his thesis, important lessons learned, and his future plans.

// What drew you to your dissertation topic and what interests you most about it?

   A.H. In countries like Italy or Germany, people have very few children, and many people remain childless – even though more than 9 in 10 young people want to have children. For individuals, that means that many cannot fulfil their goals. On the societal level, these far-reaching consequences, ranging from care for the elderly, labour market shortages, or even challenges to the democratic system.

// What was an important lesson you learned in the process of your research and writing your dissertation?

   A.H. The joy and the challenge of writing a PhD at the Bamberg Graduate School of Social Sciences is the freedom: it’s your own choice whether you spend a day in the office or at the swimming pool. So, in order to finish my dissertation in time while having a good work-life-balance, I learned how essential self-organization and an efficient working style are.

// Can you give us a small sneak peek about the findings of your thesis?

   A.H. Gender relations have a lot to do with low fertility and high childlessness. One of the reasons for high childlessness in countries like Germany is probably the diversity in viewpoints among young people, which makes it more complicated to find a suitable partner. This has practical implications: if policy-makers are concerned about low birth rates, they should seek to make family-related policies more coherent.

// What is the next step in your career?

   A.H. I’ve started a Post-Doc job at the Department of Sociology in Munich – It’s been a smooth transition and a good start!

Image Credits: © Bamberg Graduate School of Social Sciences