Research

Project duration: January 1, 2025 – December 31, 2028

Project Leaders: Prof. Dr. Sylka Scholz, Prof. Dr. Kathrin Leuze, Dr. Robin K. Saalfeld

Research Associate: Noëmi Burgenmeister

Student Assistant: Nathalie Seide

This subproject examines property arrangements among couples and their potential structural changes from a praxeological perspective. Using a mixed-methods design, it builds on the first funding phase, in which six types of property arrangements among couples were identified through qualitative research: investment-oriented couples, community-security-oriented couples, consumption-oriented couples, individualized-security-oriented couples, consumption-critical couples, and community-subsistence-securing couples. The current study aims, first, to quantitatively validate these types using a proprietary standardized survey and to further examine the hypothesis of structural change through a cohort comparison. This study is intended to provide the first representative picture of how couples in Germany handle property.

The first project phase showed that establishing a property arrangement contributes to the stabilization of the couple’s relationship, avoids conflicts over property, and therefore also characterizes couples by a profound disregard for property [CS1]. Older couples, in particular, do not know who actually owns what, which keeps inequalities between partners hidden. Consequently, the project focuses secondly on the conditions under which property arrangements in couple relationships become visible again and are subject to (potentially contentious) negotiation. The study will examine, in particular, the significance of key turning points within couple relationships—such as marriage and parenthood, the receipt of inheritances and gifts, as well as separation and divorce—for potential changes in couple-internal property arrangements. The project’s findings to date have revealed a diversification of property arrangements among the youngest cohort of couples, where modern notions of individual ownership coexist with attitudes critical of consumerism, as well as aspirations for gender equality and financial autonomy. However, since many of these young couples have not (yet) passed through important couple-internal turning points, such as marriage or parenthood, it is unclear to what extent this diversification of property arrangements is sustainable. Therefore, we will now use a longitudinal perspective to examine whether and how passing through couple-internal turning points changes property arrangements and may lead to an adjustment toward more traditional patterns seen in older cohorts. For the quantitative analysis of couple-internal turning points, we again use data from the Socio-Economic Panel; for the qualitative analysis, we re-survey the couples and expand the sample to include separated couples.

Finally, the project revealed that changes in property arrangements within couple relationships are primarily triggered by shifts in external property regimes, such as the reunification of Germany in the case of older East German couples. Furthermore, there were indications that changes in property regimes—particularly through the financialization and assetization of property (homeownership, financial investments) as well as shifts in gender norms and ideals—can also act as external drivers for younger couples. Therefore, the project’s third focus is on investigating external drivers of change in couple-specific property arrangements. These could contribute not only to the observed pluralization but also to the increasing individualization of property arrangements among younger couples. To gain a clearer understanding of the influence of such external drivers, we combine findings from the qualitative couple interviews (follow-up survey) with a discourse analysis of financial advice publications. This combination allows us to analyze the extent to which financial advisors address women in particular as new, autonomous financial market actors, how the advisory discourse is highly gendered and addresses competing gender norms, and what effects this has on couples’ property arrangements. Overall, this strictly empirical subproject offers fundamental insights into a potential structural transformation of private property.

What’s Mine Should Be Yours Too!?pdf, 1 mb · de 

This poster presents the results of a qualitative-reconstructive study conducted as part of subproject B06 of the SFB 294 Structural Transformation of Property. Based on 47 couple interviews, six collective orientations toward private property were reconstructed, which differ, among other things, in terms of property portfolios, investment and consumption behavior, debt management, property-related relationship dynamics, and gender-based division of labor. The findings point to cohort-specific differences and reveal a shift in couples’ property-related behavior, offering new insights into processes of social inequality.

Duration: January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2024
Direction: Prof. Dr. Sylka Scholz, Prof. Dr. Kathrin Leuze
Project co-worker: Agnieszka Althaber, Aaron Korn, Ramona Künzel, Dr. Robin K. Saalfeld

The subject of the study is the structural change of and through ownership in cohabiting couples. It explores both the distribution of property among domestic partners and the practices and patterns of interpretation which domestic partners establish in order to facilitate or restrict control over said property. That process of doing property results in individual ownership arrangements that are unique to each couple and reproduce, potentially transform, the hegemonic property and gender structure.

Using a mixed-method study, the project aims to analyse the structural transformation of ownership arrangements empirically. In doing so, it systematically interlinks the micro and macro approaches to ownership as a category of gender studies.

Duration: February 1, 2019 – January 31, 2022
Director: Prof. Dr. Sylka Scholz
Project co-workers: Nadine Nebyie Baser, Kevin Leja, Iris Schwarzenbacher

The crisis of social reproduction identified by sociologists forms the starting point of this project. In public discourse this crisis is addressed primarily as a problem that affects women, such as the dilemmas faced by working women when trying to reconcile work and family life or the issue of childlessness among female academics. In the academic context, too, the topics of care and care work are associated primarily with the female gender, whereas the role of the male gender in the crisis of reproduction generally remains underexamined.

The project “Caring boys?” therefore addresses issues of masculinity and care (of others and of oneself). It explores the ideas of male youngsters about care for self and others, as it is during the adolescent phase that responsibility for others, i.e. a generative perspective, is substantially developed and opportunities for changes in gender relations arise. Sociological studies in masculinity describe boys above all as being prepared to take risks and as being drawn toward competitiveness. They appear to show no care for themselves or others. It is possible, nonetheless, to formulate the hypothesis that contemporary images of masculinity lead to a situation in which other, contrasting modes and practices of masculinity are not represented or debated, i.e. that boys and men do not mention care of self and others to other people, even if these are an important factor in their own lives.

The research project focuses on the perspective of boys and uses qualitative methods to examine ways of speaking about experiences of care of self and others. In doing so it draws upon knowledge from youth work by incorporating relevant pedagogical ideas into the methodological setting. The project pursues two goals: first, that of expanding the state of academic knowledge about the care enacted by boys and, second, that of developing theoretical concepts of care, generativity and masculinity in relation to youth as a life phase. This is connected to the question of how care can be integrated into constructions of masculinity over the long term. In this way the project contributes toward society’s efforts to deal with the crisis in social reproduction.

 

Project-related publications

Leja, Kevin (2024): Die Interviewsituation als Reflexionsraum in der Adoleszenz. Zwischen der Freude am Fahrrad und der Kritik am Kapitalismus. In: ZQF, 25. Jg., Heft 2, S. 257-272, https://www.budrich-journals.de/index.php/zqf/article/view/45087Externer LinkExternal link.

Scholz, S., Schwarzenbacher, I., Leja, K., & Başer, N. N. (2024). Caring Boyhood? A Qualitative Study of the Complex Relation Between Care, Adolescence, and Masculinity. Men and Masculinities, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/1097184X241256357External link Externer Link; den vollständigen Aufsatz gibt es: hierExterner LinkExternal link.

Nadine N. Başer, Sylka Scholz (2024): Der verdeckte Wunsch männlicher Adoleszenter nach einer fürsorglichen Mutter-Sohn-Beziehung – eine Kritik der gesellschaftlichen Abwertung von Müttern und Weiblichkeit. In: Gender Heft 2 Jg., S. 122-137. Open access: https://doi.org/10.3224/gender.v16i2.09External link Externer Link.

Korn, Aaron und Leja, Kevin: "Subjektivierung im Kinderzimmer - Fortnite, Kapitalismus, Männlichkeit und Adoleszenz.", in: PAIDIA - Zeitschrift für Computerspielforschung. 08.09.2023, https://paidia.de/subjektivierung-im-kinderzimmer-fortnite-kapitalismus-maennlichkeit-und-adoleszenz/Externer LinkExternal link [12.09.2023].

Schwarzenbacher, Iris und Başer, Nadine N. (2023): „Männlichkeiten erben: Vergeschlechtlichte Habitusbildung und Erbprozesse in Vater-Sohn-Beziehungen“, in: Zeitschrift für Soziologie der Erziehung und Sozialisation, 43(1), S. 40-55.

Scholz, Sylka/ Başer, Nadine N./ Leja, Kevin und Schwarzenbacher, Iris (2022): „Fürsorgliche Jungen? – Die Relevanz von Care im Leben männlicher Jugendlicher“, in: Junge*Junge – das Magazin der LAG Jungenarbeit NRW, S. 4-7, onlineExterner LinkExternal link.

Leja, Kevin und Schwarzenbacher, Iris (2022): „Von Angesicht zu Angesicht“ – Fürsorge in Freundschaften von männlichen Jugendlichen, in: Gesellschaft – Individuum – Sozialisation (GISo). Zeitschrift für Sozialisationsforschung, 3 (2).DOI: 10.26043/GISo.2022.2.4  Hier online abrufbarExterner LinkExternal link.

Korn, Aaron und Scholz, Sylka (2022): Fürsorge sichtbar werden lassen – eine tiefenhermeneutische Analyse der Lebenswelten männlicher Jugendlicher, in: Gender, Heft 2, S. 11-25. Online abrufbar unter:https://www.budrich-journals.de/index.php/gender/article/download/39959/34068Externer LinkExternal link.

Wittrien, Robin (2022): Die Bedeutung von Humor und Spaß bei männlichen Jugendlichen. Masterarbeit Soziologie an der Friedrich- Schiller-Universität Jena.pdf, 1 mbpdf, 1 mb · de

Göthel, Kathrin (2022): Generativität und Care in der männlichen Adoleszenz. Eine kritische Analyse im Wechselspiel von Theorie und Empirie. Masterarbeit Soziologie an der Friedrich- Schiller-Universität Jena.pdf, 1 mbpdf, 1 mb · de

Just, Jessica (2021): Männlichkeit, Adoleszenz und Fürsorge unter dem Aspekt der Migration. Masterarbeit Soziologie an der Friedrich- Schiller-Universität Jena.pdf, 948 kbpdf, 948 kb · de

Korn, Aaron (2020): Männlichkeit, Adoleszenz und die Frage nach Care. Eine kritisch-tiefenhermeneutische Betrachtung der Lebenswelten männlicher Jugendlicher, Masterarbeit Soziologie an der Friedrich- Schiller-Universität Jena.pdf, 670 kbpdf, 670 kb · de

Ruby, Sophie und Scholz, Sylka (2018): "Care, Care Work and the Struggle for a Careful World from the Perspective of the Sociology of Masculinities", in: Aulenbacher, Brigitte/ Gutiérrez-Rodríguez/ Liebig, Brigitte (Hrsg.): Care and Care Work. Special Issue of Österreichische Zeitschrift für Soziologie ÖZS, Jg. 43, H. 1, S.73-83pdf, 207 kbpdf, 207 kb · de.

Duration: November 1, 2018 – September 30, 2021
Direction: Prof. Dr. Sylka Scholz
Project co-worker: Dr. Kevin Stützel

The project looks at how boys’ and young men’s choices of study and profession develop biographically. The data base consists of twenty guided interviews with young men who are already training or on a course of study in Social Work, Health and Nursing Care, Child Development and Education. The project involves reconstructing how the boys’ choices came about and how their decision relates to any previous experience with care activities in their social environment. In addition, the way the boys engage with the gender-related demands of their training or course of study in a caring profession is analysed. The young men surveyed are engaged in training or study at institutions in four regions of Germany that are either urban or rural and are in either the eastern or western German states. With regard to the training and study courses themselves, caring professions are chosen which display a comparatively high or comparatively low proportion of male practitioners.

 Project-related publications

Scholz, Sylka (2022): „Pflegekräfte gesucht“. Ein zukunftweisendes Berufsfeld für junge Männer?, in: Junge*Junge. Das Magazin der LAG Jungenarbeit NRW, Themenschwerpunkt Care, S. 18-20, onlineExterner LinkExternal link.

Scholand, Barbara/ Stützel, Kevin (2022): Jenseits von Dominanz und Hegemonie? Männliche Auszubildende in der Pflege, in: Jürgen Budde & Thomas Viola Rieske (Hrsg.), Jungen in Bildungskontexten. Männlichkeit, Geschlecht und Pädagogik in Kindheit und Jugend. Opladen, Leverkusen: Barbara Budrich, S. 213-231pdf, 563 kbpdf, 563 kb · de.

Stützel, Kevin Stützel/Scholz, Sylka (2022): Sorge als Beziehungsverhältnis – Zum Umgang männlicher Auszubildender mit Emotionen in der Pflege, in: Jürgen Budde & Thomas Viola Rieske (Hrsg.): Jungen in Bildungskontexten. Männlichkeit, Geschlecht und Pädagogik in Kindheit und Jugend. Opladen, Leverkusen: Barbara Budrich, S. 232-251.pdf, 569 kbpdf, 569 kb · de

Kevin Stützel im Gespräch mit Jürgen Budde, Stephan Höyng, Marc Thielen, Thomas Viola Rieske und Sylka Scholz (2022): Was heißt heutzutage ‚männlich‘ sein? Von ‚dicken Begriffen‘, ‚diskursiven Brecheisen‘, ‚Barbiepuppen als Spiderman‘, ‚Jungs im rosa Kleid‘ und dem Ringen um Begriffe und männlichkeitstheoretische Konzepte in der Forschungspraxis. In: Jürgen Budde & Thomas Viola Rieske (Hrsg.): Jungen in Bildungskontexten. Männlichkeit, Geschlecht und Pädagogik in Kindheit und Jugend. Opladen, Leverkusen: Barbara Budrich, S. 291-332.pdf, 678 kbpdf, 678 kb · de
Hier geht´s zum Verlag: https://shop.budrich.de/produkt/jungen-in-bildungskontexten/Externer LinkExternal link und Flyer zum Buchpdf, 277 kbpdf, 277 kb · de.

Richter, Lisa (2022): Soziodemographie und Beschäftigungsstruktur von Männern in der beruflichen Altenpflege in Deutschland, Masterarbeit Soziologie an der Friedrich- Schiller-Universität Jena.pdf, 2 mbpdf, 2 mb · de