ECON researchers receive funding for projects on work–family trade-offs and well-being in schools
Four researchers from the Department of Economics and Business Economics have received funding for two new research projects. Professors Nabanita Datta Gupta and Astrid Würtz Rasmussen have received DKK 2.4 million from the European Commission’s Horizon Europe programme, while Professors Maria Knoth Humlum and Marianne Simonsen have received DKK 4.6 million from TrygFonden.
Reducing work–family trade-offs
Professor Nabanita Datta Gupta is leading the Aarhus University contribution to the Horizon Europe project “Work-family trade-offs in context: Labour market conditions, gender differences in parental career trajectories and family well-being” (TRADE-OFFS).
The project addresses the challenges parents face in balancing work and family life and examines how these trade-offs are linked to gender inequalities in careers and family well-being. The international research consortium brings together labour economists and sociologists from Norway, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy and Hungary.
The Aarhus University researchers and their co-authors will contribute to two subprojects. One will investigate whether households anticipate the changes in earnings and careers associated with having children. The other will examine how preferences for job flexibility versus pay differ by gender and managerial rank.
“This grant will allow us to address novel questions in gender and family economics by combining unique survey data with linked administrative register data. It also includes 18 months of postdoc funding,” says Nabanita Datta Gupta.
The AU researchers will collaborate with Yana Gallen from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and Florian Zimmermann from the Institute for Employment Research (IAB).
Strengthening well-being in schools
Professors Maria Knoth Humlum and Marianne Simonsen have received DKK 4.6 million from TrygFonden for the project “A pilot study of invest in play® in schools: Improving educator-child interactions through educator training”, led by Maria Knoth Humlum.
The project will evaluate the feasibility of invest in play® for Educators, a training programme designed to help teachers and pedagogues strengthen their relationships with pupils and support inclusive classroom environments.
Ten Danish primary schools will participate in a pilot study during the 2027/28 school year. The researchers will examine how the programme is implemented and investigate preliminary changes in educator practices and pupil outcomes. The findings will provide a basis for a future large-scale trial.
“The ambition is that, in the longer term, we can provide school professionals with a tool that we know works and that can give more children a safe and positive school experience, with playful learning in strong and supportive communities,” says Maria Knoth Humlum.
The project also involves Professor Tea Trillingsgaard from the Department of Psychology, Aarhus University, as well as Center for ADHD+, invest in play and DEFACTUM.