Marita Jacob

Research focuses

Social Inequality in Education, in the Labour Market and the Family; Life Course Research; Key Research Initiative: Demography and Social Inequality;

Curriculum vitae

• Since 2021 Vice Dean of Academic Career
• 2015-2021 Vice Dean of Research and Early Career Researchers at the WiSo-Faculty
• Since 2015 Vice Dean for Research and Early Career Researchers at the WiSo-Faculty
• Since 2011 Full Professor (W3) of Sociology at the WiSo-Faculty, University of Cologne
• 2011 - 2013 Junior Professor (W1) of Methods for Empirical Social Research at the School of Social Sciences, University of Mannheim
• 2009 - 2011 Grant of the Robert Bosch Foundation „Excellence and Leadership for Outstanding Women in Science”
• 2004 - 2010 Assistant Professor (W1) at the School of Social Sciences, University of Mannheim
• 2003 - 2005 Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Employment Research (IAB), Nürnberg
• 2004 Otto Hahn Medal of the Max Planck for outstanding scientific achievements
• 2004 Dr. phil. (in Sociology), Free University Berlin
• 2000 - 2003 Research Fellow at the Max-Planck-Institute for Human Development, Berlin

Selected publications

• Pietrzyk, Irena, Melinda Erdmann, Juliana Schneider, Marita Jacob & Marcel Helbig (2025). Guidance Counseling Can Reduce Inequality in University Enrollment in Germany: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial. In: Sociology of Education.
  DOI: 10.1177/00380407251323888
• Hudde, Ansgar & Marita Jacob (2025). Parenthood in Europe: Not More Life Satisfaction, but More Meaning in Life. In: Journal of Marriage and Family.
  DOI: 10.1111/jomf.13116
• Tobler, Lina, Bernhard Christoph, Lukas Fervers & Marita Jacob (2025). When the Burden Lifts: The Effect of School and Day Care Reopenings on Parents’ Life Satisfaction. In: Journal of Happiness Studies.
  DOI: 10.1007/s10902-024-00819-7
• Erdmann, Melinda, Irena Pietrzyk, Juliana Schneider, Marcel Helbig & Marita Jacob (2025). Same but different: Gender, social origin, and university access. Results from a field experiment on guidance counseling. In: Research in Social Stratification and Mobility.
  DOI: 10.1016/j.rssm.2025.101062
• Fervers, Lukas, Marita Jacob, Janina Beckmann & Joachim Piepenburg (2025).
  Risk–return preferences, gender inequalities and the moderating role of a counselling intervention on choice of major: evidence from a field and survey experiment. In: Higher Education.
  DOI: 10.1007/s10734-024-01237-7
• Tobler, Lina, Lukas Fervers, Marita Jacob & Veronika Knize (2024) Unequal effects on working time: immigrants’ vulnerability in the German labor market in the early COVID-19 pandemic. In: European Societies.
  DOI: 10.1080/14616696.2024.2308011
• Klein, Oliver; Martin Neugebauer & Marita Jacob (2024) Migrant teachers in the classroom: a key to reduce ethnic disadvantages in school? In: International Studies in Sociology of Education, 33(2), 203-221
• Pietrzyk, Irena, Marita Jacob & Melinda Erdmann (2023) Who Benefits from Guidance Counseling? Insights into Native and Immigrant Students of Low Social Origin. In: Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie.
  DOI: 10.1007/s11577-023-00921-3
• Hudde, Ansgar & Marita Jacob (2023) There’s More in the Data! Using Month-Specific Information to Estimate Changes Before and After Major Life Events. In: Sociological Science.
  DOI: 10.15195/v10.a29
• Fervers, Lukas, Lina Tobler, Veronika Knize, Bernhard Christoph & Marita Jacob (2023) Kids back to school – Parents back to work? School and daycare opening and parents' employment in the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. In: Journal of European Social Policy, 33(3), 373-387
• Hudde, Ansgar, Marita Jacob & Karsten Hank (2023) Parenthood and Dynamics of Life Satisfaction in Times of COVID-19. In: British Journal of Sociology, 74(3), 419– 43.
• Erdmann, Melinda; Juliana Schneider; Irena Pietrzyk, Marita Jacob & Marcel Helbig (2023) The impact of guidance counselling on gender segregation: Major choice and persistence in higher education. An experimental study. In: Frontiers in Sociology, 8 - 2023
• Neugebauer, Martin, Klein Oliver and Marita Jacob  (2022) Migrant teachers in the classroom: a key to reduce ethnic disadvantages in school? In: International Studies in Sociology of Education, DOI: 10.1080/09620214.2022.2132983
• Lisa Rosen und Marita Jacob (2022) Diversity in the teachers’ lounge in Germany. Casting doubts on the statistical category of ‘migration background’. (mit Lisa Rosen). In: European Educational Research Journal 21 (2), 312-329. https://doi.org/10.1177/14749041211054949
• Erdmann, Melinda; Pietrzyk, Irena; Helbig, Marcel; Stuth, Stefan and Marita Jacob (2022) Do Intensive Guidance Programs Reduce Social Inequality in the Transition to Higher Education? Results of a Field Experiment. In: Swiss Journal of Sociology 48(1), 137–164. DOI https://doi.org/10.2478/sjs-2022-0007
• Hudde, Ansgar; Jacob, Marita and Karsten Hank (2021) Gender Role Attitudes Cannot Explain How British Couples Responded to Increased Housework Demands during the COVID-19 Pandemic. In: Socius 7, 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1177/23780231211064395
• Knize, Veronika; Tobler, Lina; Christoph, Bernhard; Fervers, Lukas and Marita Jacob (2021) Working’ moms ain’t doing so bad: Evidence on the gender gap in working hours at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In: Journal of Family Research. https://doi.org/10.20377/jfr-714
• Sergi Vidal, Philipp Lersch, Marita Jacob und Karsten Hank (2020) Interdependencies in mothers’ and daughters’ work-family life course trajectories: Similar but different? Demography 57:1483–1511. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13524-020-00899-z
• Marita Jacob und Michael Kühhirt (2020) Mothers’ employment and child behaviour: New evidence for Scotland. Longitudinal and Life Course Studies. https://doi.org/10.1332/175795920X16057278409033
• Marita Jacob, Felix Weiss und Maria Gerth (2020) Not just a matter of access: Are social inequalities in student employment affected by the local labour market? Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie 72(1): 55–80. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11577-020-00661-8
• Marita Jacob, Cristina Iannelli, Emer Smyth und Adriana Duta (2020) Secondary School Subjects and Gendered STEM Enrollment in Higher Education in Germany, Ireland and Scotland. In: International Journal of Comparative Sociology. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020715220913043
• Marita Jacob and Markus Klein (2019) Social Origin, Field of Study, and Graduates’ Career Progression: Does Social Inequality Vary Across Different Fields?. In: British Journal of Sociology. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-4446.12696
• Marita Jacob, Michael Kühhirt and Margarida Rodrigues (2019) Labour market returns to graduates' international experience: Exploring cross-country variation in Europe. In: European Sociological Review. https://doi.org/10.1093/esr/jcz022
• Lydia Malin and Marita Jacob (2018) Gendered occupational aspirations of boys and girls in Germany: The impact of local VET and labour markets . In: Journal of Vocational Education and Training. https://doi.org/10.1080/13636820.2018.1517128
• Marita Jacob, Felix Weiss und Maria Gerth (2018) Student employment: Social differentials and field-specific developments in higher education. In: Journal of Education and Work 31 (1): 87-108, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13639080.2017.1395513
• Philipp Lersch, Marita Jacob and Karsten Hank (2018) Long-Term Health Consequences of Adverse Labor Market Conditions at Time of Leaving Education: Evidence from West German Panel Data (mit). In: Journal of Health and Social Behavior 59 (1): 151-168 https://doi.org/10.1177/0022146517749848
• Philipp Lersch, Marita Jacob and Karsten Hank (2017) Parenthood, Gender, and Personal Wealth (mit). In: European Sociological Review 33 (3): 410-422, https://doi.org/10.1093/esr/jcx046
• Marita Jacob and Heike Solga (2015) Germany's Vocational Education and Training System in Transformation: Changes in the Participation of Low- and High-Achieving Youth Over Time (mit Heike Solga). In: European Sociological Review 31 (2): 161-171. https://doi.org/10.1093/esr/jcv016
• Marita Jacob, Markus Klein and Cristina Iannelli (2015) The Impact of Social Origin on Graduates’ Early Occupational Destinations – An Anglo-German Comparison. In: European Sociological Review 31 (4): 460-476. https://doi.org/10.1093/esr/jcv006
• Marita Jacob and Corinna Kleinert (2014)  Marriage, Gender, and Class: The Effects of Partner Resources on Unemployment Exit in Germany. In: Social Forces 92 (3) 839-871. https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/sot130
• Marita Jacob and Corinna Kleinert (2013) Demographic changes, labor markets and their consequences on post-school-transitions in West Germany 1975-2005. In: Research in Social Stratification and Mobility 32: 65-83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rssm.2013.01.004
• Marita Jacob, Michael Kühhirt and Corinna Kleinert (2013) Trends in Gender Disparities at the Transition from School to Work: Labour Market Entries of Young Men and Women between 1984 and 2005 in West Germany (mit). In: Journal of Vocational Education and Training 65 (1): 48-65. https://doi.org/10.1080/13636820.2012.738427
• Marita Jacob and Markus Klein (2013) Der Einfluss der Bildungsherkunft auf den Berufseinstieg und die ersten Erwerbsjahre von Universitätsabsolventen. In: Beiträge zur Hochschulforschung 35 (1): 8-37
• Corinna Kleinert and Marita Jacob (2012) Strukturwandel und Übergangschancen in Ausbildung. Übergänge von der Schule in Berufsausbildung im Kohortenvergleich. In: Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie (Sonderheft 52): 211-233.
• Marita Jacob and Felix Weiss (2011) Class Origin and Young Adults’ Decision to Re-Enroll. In: Research in Social Stratification and Mobility 29 (4): 415-426.
• Marita Jacob (2011) Do brothers affect their sisters’ chances to graduate? An analysis of sibling sex composition effects on graduation from a university or a Fachhochschule in Germany. In: Higher Education, 61 (3): 277-291.

Contact information

Prof. Dr. Marita Jacob

Phone: +492214701531
Email: marita.jacob(at)uni-koeln(dot)de
WWW: www.iss-wiso.uni-koeln.de