Lebenslauf und Generationen

The IBSA Foundation for Scientific Research and the H2R Data Centre invites you to a press conference and roundtable discussion titled «Why do Swiss people have fewer children?». This event will present and discuss new findings from the CHARLS panel survey, providing a deep dive into the complexities of (in)fertility and childlessness in Switzerland.

📆 Tuesday, June 9th, 15:00-17:00
📍 Careum Auditorium
💬 German with simultaneous translation in English

There is increasing evidence that parenthood regrets occur both in mothers and fathers, but little is known about their causes and how they relate to gendered norms and conditions of parenthood. The newly published article by Larissa Fritsch and Dr. Sandra Gilgen investigates the prevalence of and factors associated with parenthood regret in Switzerland.

Matthias Klingler, PhD candidate in the URPP Human Reproduction Reloaded H2R, has been one of three researchers honored with the Best Researcher Award 2025. He was recognized for his publication in Advances in Life Course Research and for his strong commitment to the research community.

On Monday, Maila Mertens successfully defended her Doctoral Thesis, which explores research questions on Medically Assisted Reproduction (MAR) with a gender perspective. Congratulations, Maila!

The 13th volume of Social Inclusion features contributions from SUZ researchers. Jörg Rössel co-authored the editorial on current developments in medically assisted reproduction (MAR), exploring how social inequality and social norms shape access, attitudes, and experiences. Maila Martens, Nadja Colombini, and Jörg Rössel examine motivations behind social egg freezing, while Julia Schroedter analyzes the influence of religion on attitudes toward MAR. Julia Böcker and Nina Jakoby aim to understand subjects' experience and emotional managment of (failed) fertility treatments.

🔍 New Study on Women’s Labor Supply During Divorce
❓How do women adjust their work lives when navigating divorce—and how does motherhood shape that response? 👉🏻 Using longitudinal data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP), this study by Matthias Klingler finds that women increase their labor supply in anticipation of separation and sustain higher levels after divorce, with this pattern more pronounced among mothers than childless women.

Im Gespräch mit Katja Rost, Gideon Sartorius und Barbara Künzle diskutiert NZZ-Kolumnistin Nicole Althaus über neue Lebensentwürfe, gesellschaftliche Erwartungen und die Folgen des Geburtenrückgangs. Welche Rolle spielt die Politik und andere Rahmenbedingungen und welche Verantwortung tragen wir selbst?

Wieso sinken in Europa - selbst in Ländern mit bis anhin bewährter Familienpolitik -  die Geburtenzahlen? Katja Rost bietet Einsicht in die aktuelle Forschung bei der Ausgabe des wöchentlichenn ARTE-Format zum aktuellen Trend in der Bevölkerungsentwicklung in Europa. 

🔬 What drives young women to consider social egg freezing? This new article from Maila Mertens et al. reveals how career goals, gender norms, and reproductive autonomy shape this decision—while high costs remain a major barrier. 

Published 2025 in «Social Inclusion».

#reprotech #socialinclusion #humanreproduction #fertility

Two projects involving our researchers at the Department of Sociology studying generational family diversity and birth rate changes respectively have been granted research funding by the SNF and the PRC. Bravo!