Junior researchers from Kassel and their topics Moritz Merten (35) Urban and Regional Sociology

My research is about activity spaces of young people and how they use the city. We have taken the term "activity space" from geography. It refers to places where people are active on a daily basis, but also the routes to school, work or friends. I look at which parts of the city are used intensively by young people and the routes they take between places like their home or to their leisure activities. This results in a meaningful activity pattern that is distributed throughout the city. The places where young people spend most of their time can be related to the social status of their parents. Adolescents from rather simple parental homes spend more time in different places than children of academics.  In my research, it is clear that Germany, even today, is always a stratified society with closed social milieus. This means that the chances of moving up into a higher social class are still low. In theory, this would be possible through equal educational opportunities. However, in sociology we see that already in elementary school the first steps of discrimination happen - mostly unconsciously. Children who come from working-class families are less likely to receive a recommendation for high school, even if they have the potential. This then continues throughout their school careers. It is similar in college. Children who come from socially disadvantaged families tend to be more likely to start an education. Their parents are often financially unable to adequately support them in their studies.
I have been very interested in political and social events since my youth. This is also the reason why I decided to study social sciences. Nowadays, unfortunately, there are still many social injustices and inequalities. I hope that I can draw attention to these problems and thus also increase the pressure on politicians to act.