Soziologie

The research project is headed by Prof Dr Marcel Erlinghagen and Dr Lisa Mansfeld from the University of Duisburg-Essen. The project is embedded in the Research Training Group "Cross-border Labour Markets", which is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and run jointly by the University of Duisburg-Essen and Bielefeld University. The project is supported by Wiebke Anton, PhD and Rhoda Bangerter, who jointly organise the online initiative "Expat Couples Summit". The survey of internationally mobile people is being conducted in cooperation with the Institute for Social Research & Communication (SOKO) in Bielefeld.

Aim of the project

For many people from the affluent societies of Europe and North America, being internationally mobile is now an experience that they have in the course of their lives. This includes exchange programmes at schools and universities as well as longer-term assignments abroad for employers or careers in international organisations. International mobility poses particular challenges for families and partnerships, but can also provide unique opportunities for personal development and enriching experiences for those involved. The MoCaF research project is interested in finding out more about precisely this area of tension: How do couples plan and organise their stay abroad? What conflicts, but also what opportunities, are associated with international mobility? How do families manage to cope with life in different places, in different cultures and with changing conditions? By surveying internationally mobile people, the MoCaF project aims to contribute to answering these research questions, which have so far received little attention.

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