Inaugural Lecture by Prof. Dr Christian Ebner From car mechanics to dentistry - analyses of the status of different occupational groups in Germany

Prof. Dr. Christian Ebner, Institute of Sociology, Chair of Sociology with a focus on work and organisation at Technische Universität Braunschweig, will give his inaugural lecture ” Von Automechanik bis Zahnmedizin – Analysen zum Status unterschiedlicher Berufgruppen in Deutschland” (From car mechanics to dentistry – analyses of the status of different occupational groups in Germany) on

Wednesday, 23 November 2022, 5.00 p.m,
Aula, Pockelsstr. 11, Haus der Wissenschaft, 38106 Braunschweig.

By pursuing different professions, people contribute in many ways to a functioning society. At the same time, the working conditions and life chances of employed people – and thus their status in society – differ significantly according to the profession they pursue.

The inaugural lecture provides an insight into sociological occupational research. The lecture will first outline the central functions of the occupation for social processes. On the basis of representative survey data for Germany, the focus will then be on salary differences, but also differences in relation to the social reputation of different occupational groups. The lecture concludes with an outlook on future opportunities and challenges for occupational research.

About the Person
Christian Ebner studied social sciences at the Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, where he graduated with a degree in social economics. After working as a research associate at the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) of the Federal Employment Agency, he moved to the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB) for his doctorate, where he continued to work as a post-doctoral researcher after a guest stay at the London School of Economics (LSE). In 2014, he accepted a call to a junior professorship (W1) in sociological occupational research at the University of Cologne and at the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) in Bonn. After a substitute professorship (W3) in sociology at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Christian Ebner has been professor (W3) of sociology with a focus on “work and organisation” at TU Braunschweig since 2019. His thematic focus is on research into occupations and working conditions, attitudes towards gainful employment, digitalisation and gainful employment, as well as the topics of vocational education and training. Christian Ebner has been awarded the Austrian Berufsbildungsforschungspreis (2012) and the ALLBUS Prize by GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, among others (2022).