Junge Menschen in Ausbildung, die sich um ältere Menschen kümmern: Sie stehen im Mittelpunkt des Forschungsprojekts „InterCare“ am Fachbereich Erziehungswissenschaften der Goethe-Universität. Eines steht bereits fest: Die gesellschaftliche Aufmerksamkeit für diese Gruppe ist weitaus geringer als sie eigentlich sein sollte.
Around one in eight young people in education – i.e. school pupils, trainees and students – are (jointly) responsible for the well-being and care of elderly, sick or disabled relatives or other loved ones. This is the result of a study by the German Center for Higher Education Research and Science Studies. This means that this group is larger than that of students with their own offspring.
Young women and young people with a migration background in general are more likely to be affected by having to juggle care and education. "A huge group, but one that is completely overlooked in public perception," says Dr. Anna Wanka, who wants to use her research to find out what everyday life is like for these young people, what difficulties they have to overcome and how they can be supported. After all, being responsible for an older person often influences school performance and the decision for or against going to university or further education, especially in another city. And those who do decide to do so have to struggle with a guilty conscience, shame towards peers and lecturers, as well as hurdles in the daily reconciliation of education and care.
The "InterCare" project is the first comprehensive research project to take a close look at this group. The official start of the research will be in October 2024, from then on, 1.2 million euros will flow from the Volkswagen Foundation over four years. Wanka applied to the foundation as part of the "Challenges and Potentials for Europe: Intergenerational Futures" funding line. She also heads the Emmy Noether research group "Linking Ages" at Goethe University, which focuses on age constructions in the life course.
Angesichts der in allen europäischen Ländern alternden Bevölkerung sprach die VolkswagenStiftung mit ihrem Förderprogramm vor allem Forschungsgruppen an, die sich mit Fragen zum demografischen Wandel befassen. Die Verantwortlichen sollten aus mindestens drei unterschiedlichen europäischen Ländern stammen. Neben der britischen Anglia Ruskin University und der Jagiellonen-Universität Krakau nimmt auch die Hochschule Niederrhein in Möchengladbach in Person von Moritz Heß, Professor für Gerontologie, teil. In Polen zum Beispiel sei die Situation sehr stark dadurch geprägt, dass professionelle Pflegekräfte im westlichen Ausland, vor allem in Deutschland, arbeiteten, wo sie mehr Geld verdienten. In Polen fehlen diese Fachkräfte dann, was die Angehörigen dort umso stärker in die Pflicht nimmt.
The first phase of the study will involve a quantitative survey in Germany: How many people are actually affected? What is the situation at educational institutions? Where do the rules – for example compulsory attendance in laboratories and seminar rooms – make it impossible to participate in the course? The results will then be compared with the situation in the UK and Poland. For a second phase, "dyadic interviews" are planned, which are characterized by the fact that a "tandem" of a young person with care responsibilities and the person being cared for are interviewed individually and together. "The separate interviews are necessary because shameful topics, experiences of violence and restrictions on freedom should also be discussed," says Wanka. The project is partly participatory, which means that those affected help to shape the course of the study themselves and, together with the researchers, produce a virtual exhibition and a podcast series to raise awareness of the topic.
Hintergrund: Beitrag ITVNews | Beitrag BBC
