Judith Offerhaus

Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences (BIGSSS)
Jacobs University Bremen
Campus Ring 1/South Hall
PO Box 750 561
28759 Bremen
Germany

Room: 310

Phone: +49 (0)421 200 3961
Fax: +49 (0)421 200 3955

E-Mail:
jofferhaus(_a_)bigsss-bremen.de
j.offerhaus(_a_)jacobs-university.de


Judith Offerhaus is pursuing a PhD in Sociology and is specialising in the field of Life-Course and Lifespan Dynamics.

Dissertation Topic

Education over the Life Course
Careers and Labour Market Outcomes (working title)

Abstract

Evidence is plentiful that initial education shapes life course trajectories and employment biographies, and facilitates participation in further education and training. Most research considered only one-time engagements when measuring further education and training activities, thus neglecting the process of continual accumulation of human capital over the life course. The paper aims to add a multiple education and training perspective and draws upon the concept of path-dependency taken from life course sociology, offering the hypothesis that individuals with high initial qualifications are more likely to continually invest in further education and training throughout their lives. Empirically, the paper builds on a data-driven typology of different forms of prolonged educational participation, phrased as educational careers, ranging from non- and rare participants to frequent learners and "serial attendees". Using the detailed batteries on further education participation 1989, 1993, 2000, 2004, 2008) as well as the monthly information on education and employment states (1989-2008) from the German Socio-Economic Panel, this paper applies methods of sequence and cluster analysis to test the equalising intention of lifelong learning. It finds that (dis-)continuous patters of further education investments exist across educational and occupational backgrounds which are in line with the main assumption: individuals with higher initial qualification are more likely to have constantly invested in further education. Moreover, "serial attendees" hold higher status positions and are more likely to have continuous full-time employment biographies compared to those who never or rarely engage in further education activities. This implies that training- and employment-related disparities are increasing as the life course proceeds, thus further stratifying society in favour of those already advantages: this further supports the Matthew Effect, in oder the words the extended accumulation of qualifications and a polarisation of life chances this contradicting the normative rationale behind lifelong learning (Memorandum on Lifelong Learning, Commission of European Communities, 2000).

Academic Supervisors

Research Interests

  • Sociology of Education
  • Higher Education and Adult Learning
  • Educational Attainment
  • Key Competencies
  • Labour Market Sociology
  • Discrimination and Gender Inequalities
  • Advanced quantitative Methods