My research focuses on the relationship between welfare state institutions and outcomes for individuals and families, and relates to the fields of comparative social policy and social stratification. In my ongoing theoretical and empirical research I investigate institutional configurations as well as individual positions and resources.
Varieties of reproduction regimes: institutions, norms and inequalities (VRR)
Research Group funded with the Emmy-Noether-Programme of the German Research Foundation (DFG), since April 2022 at WZB Berlin Social Science Center. The research takes a comparative perspective on three main questions. First, how do states regulate reproduction, that is, whether or not people have children? The project is unique in looking at institutional configurations of ‘classical’ instruments like abortion legislation, sex education and contraception policy alongside ‘new’ regulations like for medically assisted reproduction. A new internationally comparative database on laws and policies will be built. Second, what patterns of stratified reproduction are associated with the institutional settings? It is examined how institutional settings reduce stratified reproduction by providing policies that secure reproductive rights or how they cement existing inequalities based on sexuality, gender, class and ethnicity. Third, what are the associations between regulating reproduction and attitudes towards gender, sexuality and family in the population? Here, the project takes a longitudinal perspective allowing to study where regulations lead to more tolerant attitudes and where do they spawn a normative backlash.
International Reproduction Policy Database (IRPD)
IRPD is a subproject of the research group “Varieties of Reproduction Regimes” at WZB Berlin Social Science Center. We collect data on reproduction policies in five fields of regulation: sexuality education, contraception, abortion, medically assisted reproduction, and pregnancy care. The final dataset will contain indicators of policies in these five areas across 30 high-income countries between 1980 and 2020, and will be available to the public in mid-2023. More information on the data collection can be found here.
Early family life courses and sex education policies in the United States
Publication project with Zachary Van Winkle (Sciences Po Paris) on the links between different approaches to sex education and young adults’ partnership and parenthood trajectories across the United States. Presentations at EPC Annual Conference, Groningen, NL and RC28 Spring Meeting 2022, LSE, UK.
Better off without you? Single motherhood, couple conflict and self-reported health
Publication project comparing mothers‘ wellbeing across different family settings. Presentations at Forschungskolloquium Empirische Sozialforschung Summer 2022, Universität Konstanz, and DGS Sektion Familiensoziologie Frühjahrstagung 2021.
Hannah Zagel 