Eurizon.eu

Organization: Radboud University

Location: Nijmegen, Netherlands

Field: Demography

Requirements:

You should have:
• a (Research) Master’s degree in history, anthropology or anthropological demography (PhD project 1) or a (Research) Master’s degree in history, demography, sociology or economics (PhD projects 2-3);
• a strong statistical background (PhD projects 2-3) or experience with oral history or ethnographic research and interpretative methods (PhD project 1);
• an outstanding record of undergraduate and Master’s degree work;
• excellent writing and speaking skills in English;
• proficiency in other European languages is considered an advantage.

Abstract:

As a PhD student you will participate in the VIDI-project “The Power of the Family. Family Influences on Long-Term Fertility Decline in Europe, 1850-2010”.

Description:

As a PhD student you will participate in the VIDI-project “The Power of the Family. Family Influences on Long-Term Fertility Decline in Europe, 1850-2010”. This project is funded by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) and directed by Dr Hilde Bras (principal investigator). See http://www.ru.nl/hlcs/the_power_of_the_family.

Over the last 160 years a remarkable decline of fertility has taken place in most European societies. Intriguingly, substantial national and regional disparities in fertility levels and reproductive change have been prevalent and remain existent. By combining previous economic and ideational explanations with theories on family influences and the cultural variation therein, the project aims at opening up new vistas for understanding long-term population change.

Together with the principal investigator and two other PhD students, you will study the relationship between family and reproductive behaviour across Europe and over time from either a qualitative or quantitative perspective, using micro and macro level data.
Key themes in the project are:
1. the composition and geographical dispersion of kinship networks;
2. the influence of kin support and competition on reproductive behaviour;
3. the intergenerational transmission of reproductive behaviour;
4. sibling interdependencies in reproductive behaviour;
5. husband-wife relations and reproductive behaviour.

PhD student 1 will explore the project’s themes through oral history and qualitative documents.
PhD student 2 will investigate the project’s themes on the basis of quantitative historical micro data for cohorts born between 1850 and 1920.
PhD student 3 will examine the project’s themes on the basis of quantitative contemporary micro data for cohorts born since 1920
 
You will be offered an initial contract for 18 months with the possibility of extension by 2.8 years. The sub-projects will start on September 1st, 2011.
The gross starting salary is €2,042 per month based on full-time employment.
Contract type
Temporary
4 years and 3 months
 
Additional information
Dr Hilde Bras, principal investigator
+31 24 3655983
h.bras@let.ru.nl
http://www.ru.nl/hlcs/the_power_of_the_family
Radboud University Nijmegen

Deadline: 15-05-2011

If you apply for this position please say you saw it on eurizons.eu