Birgit Becker

Prof. Dr. Birgit Becker is a Professor of Sociology with a focus on Empirical Educational Research at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Sociology, Goethe University Frankfurt. Her research examines how reconfigurations between socio-economic status and immigrant backgrounds affect identities, preferences, and behaviors that reproduce social inequalities, particularly in parenting norms (RISS Project No. 2) and academic efficacy beliefs (RISS Project No. 4).

• Education: Diploma in Social Sciences (University of Mannheim, 2003), PhD in Sociology (University of Mannheim, 2009)
• Career: Research Assistant at University of Mannheim; Junior Professor at Goethe University (2011-2014); Full Professor since 2014

Research Interests include educational inequality, migration and integration, gender norms, digital divides, and early childhood development. She investigates how social structures and institutional contexts shape educational trajectories and political participation, with a focus on marginalized groups. Her work spans topics like multilingualism in refugee education, efficacy beliefs in education, and gender ideologies in childcare.

Key Publication Trends (2022-2025) reflect interdisciplinary analyses of educational disparities, migration-specific challenges, and political efficacy. Her recent articles explore digital inequalities in education, refugee student integration, and longitudinal studies of immigrant children's aspirations.

Projects include DFG-funded studies on status aspirations, political efficacy, and gender norms; BMBF-funded SchuWaMi (school transitions for refugee students); and involvement in the Doing Transitions graduate college (DFG).

Team: Collaborates with researchers like Taylan Acar, Max Jansen, and Thomas Zimmermann. Supervises external doctoral candidates and former assistants.