Marita Jacob

Marita Jacob is a Full Professor of Sociology at the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences (WiSo Faculty) at the University of Cologne, where she has been teaching and conducting research since 2011. She also serves as Vice Dean of Academic Career since 2021, following her previous role as Vice Dean of Research and Early Career Researchers from 2015-2021. Her work is centered at the Institute of Sociology and Social Psychology (ISS), where she leads research on social inequality across education, labor markets, and the family.

Professor Jacob's research interests focus on Social Inequality in Education, in the Labor Market and the Family, Life Course Research, and Demography and Social Inequality. Her work examines how social structures and individual choices interact across the life course to produce patterns of inequality. She has particular expertise in educational transitions, labor market integration, and family dynamics, often employing sophisticated quantitative methods and longitudinal approaches to understand social processes. Her research frequently addresses gender disparities, ethnic differences, and social stratification across multiple institutional contexts.

Her recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on social inequality across multiple domains. She has examined ethnic disparities in education, gender dynamics in work and family life during the pandemic, intergenerational patterns of work-family balance, and social stratification in educational and occupational pathways. Her work frequently employs comparative designs, particularly within European contexts, to understand how institutional settings shape social inequality.

• Otto Hahn Medal of the Max Planck for outstanding scientific achievements (2004)
• Grant of the Robert Bosch Foundation 'Excellence and Leadership for Outstanding Women in Science' (2009-2011)

Professor Jacob has received significant research funding throughout her career, including the prestigious Robert Bosch Foundation grant that supported her early career development. She has maintained active collaborations with researchers across Europe, particularly with Karsten Hank, Markus Klein, and other leading scholars in sociology. Her work has appeared in top sociology, education, and interdisciplinary journals, demonstrating the broad impact of her research across multiple fields.

She is actively involved in the Key Research Initiative on Demography and Social Inequality at the University of Cologne, contributing to the university's broader research profile in Social and Economic Behavior. Her work bridges theoretical and empirical approaches to understanding social inequality across educational, labor market, and family contexts, with implications for social policy and institutional practice.