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GRADUATION INTERVIEW ▼

Investigating the Role of  Maternal Characteristics and Learning Environments in Germany

AN INTERVIEW WITH SUSANNE SCHMID

www.photogenika.deBamberg Graduate School of Social Sciences

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SHORT PROFILE

Name: Susanne Schmid
Field: Sociology
Dissertation: Early Heterogeneities in Child Development: Investigating the Role of  Maternal Characteristics and Learning Environments in Germany

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Our doctoral member Susanne Schmid has successfully completed her dissertation. In her Graduation Interview, she gives insights into the topic and findings of her dissertation, talks about her time at the BAGSS, and shares the next step in her career.

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

S. S.: My interest in my dissertation topic naturally grew during my studies. While presenting a study in a seminar on early inequalities in access to and use of daycare, along with its long-term effects, I instinctively had many open questions that remained unanswered even after further research. That seminar paper eventually evolved into my Master's thesis, which then became my first dissertation paper. When a DFG project on a closely related topic concerning maternal characteristics opened up, it was a fantastic stroke of luck that I am still grateful for today


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

S.S.: Heterogeneities in early childhood are wide-ranging and multifaceted. While mothers play a central role in the intergenerational transmission of social inequality, their resource endowment initially appears to shape children's learning environments more decisively than other characteristics, such as their occupational tasks or daycare utilization.


// What did you enjoy most about your time at the Graduate School?

S.S.:  I am deeply grateful for the people I met at BAGSS. I appreciate all the BAGSS members themselves, the opportunity that BAGSS provided to connect and exchange ideas with like-minded researchers in workshops and seminars, or its strong academic network that connects scholars internationally and fosters interdisciplinary research Organizing the Internal BAGSS Conference is another favorite memory of mine that I will always look back on with great joy. I would not have been the same without the BAGSS!

// What is the next step in your career?

S.S.:  As luck would have it, I will soon start as a postdoctoral researcher at Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, where I will dive into completely new research topics and look forward to new challenges!