"Families During the Pandemic: Pressures, Cohesion and Attitudes"

On 10 November 2022, FReDA hosted its first informational event to present findings from our first round of data collection about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on families and individuals in Germany. Participants from various federal ministries, the German Bundestag, local family associations, and researchers joined online and in-person at the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community.

Ralf Göbel, Director of Directorate H II (Equivalent Living Conditions; Demography; Municipalities) at the Federal Ministry of the Interior, and Prof. Dr C. Katharina Spieß, Director of the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB) and FReDA Principal Investigator, welcomed participants and emphasized the importance of the FReDA study for the research community. Following their opening statements, Dr Detlev Lück, FReDA project coordinator at BiB, gave a brief introduction to the study and shared some initial findings to give participants an impression of the type of data FReDA is collecting.

Prof. Spieß presented findings regarding attitudes towards working mothers based on migration background and regional (east/west) differences. Through her analysis, Spieß and her co-authors identified clear differences between East and West Germany and their views on how much mothers should work based on the age of their youngest child. They also found that respondents with a migration background were less in favour of mothers working with a very young child. She highlighted the importance of this data for labour market policies, as well as other policy areas, such as family, integration and gender equality policies.

Prof. Dr Martin Bujard, Deputy Director at BiB and FReDA Principal Investigator, gave the final presentation and shared how our respondents handled the COVID-19 pandemic. He found that mothers reported experiencing more stress than fathers when they had children of primary school age. Respondents were able to handle the pandemic better if they had quality relationships with their partner and their children, and if they had few financial concerns. These findings highlight, among others, the importance of financial support and the strong role of families during such crises.

Following the presentations, participants had the opportunity to ask questions and to speak with the presenters. We look forward to the next "FReDA informiert" event in 2023.

About "FReDA informiert"

"FReDA informiert" is an ongoing event series where members of the FReDA team and other researchers using FReDA data present their latest findings. Speakers discuss the political implications and needs for action based on their research. Participants include representatives from policy, administration and civil society.