Luisa Bischoff

Luisa Bischoff studied Sociology at Goethe-University in Frankfurt and terminated with a master’s degree. For her doctoral project she will examine the “transition into being single in older age”. She is especially interested in the influence of interdependent social inequalities on this transition as well as individual coping strategies, ergo the doing of the transition. Regarding how this familial transition in old age is shaped individually and mediated through social structure the project contributes to the research training group on the individual level.

Becoming Single in Older Age. Doing Transitions into Singlehood from an Intersectional Perspective.  

Developments summarized under the term demographic change depict old age as being a mostly negative life stage. Empirically observed developments, like the pluralisation of living arrangements among the elderly and no significant increase in the proportion of loneliness, even a decrease in social isolation in old age, draw a more positive image of ageing in Germany. These ambiguous developments raise questions on how the transition into becoming single in old age is being done within an increasingly ageing society. 

Understanding the transition from an intersectional life course perspective, the project examines how the transition into singlehood is being done on an individual level and framed on a structural level. It specifically focusses on the process of transiting into singlehood in older age (1), the influence and development of interdependent social inequalities (2), the individual attributions of meaning in non-institutionalized transitions (3) and the (re-)arrangement of basal every-day life and practices (4).  

Methodologically, a mixed methods approach will be applied. Based on the German Ageing Survey (1996-2017) longitudinal analysis – namely sequence analysis and panel regressions – is being conducted, while qualitative in-depth interviews will be analysed using qualitative content analysis. 

The project aims to shed light on the transition of becoming single in older age in Germany on a descriptive level, to attempt using the mixed-methods approach for transitional research on a methodological level and to contribute to how late familial transitions can be conceptualized with a combination of the life course and the intersectional perspective on a theoretical level. 

Talks

Bischoff, L. (2021). Reflexive Perspektiven auf Übergänge in die Partner:innenlosigkeit im höheren Alter – Was gerät mit einem Mixed-Methods-Design in den Blick? – at DGGG-Conference “(Neue) Lebensformen im Alter”, 16^th September, Siegen.

Bischoff, L. (2021). Finding love in older age, The Gendered And Age-Specific Dimensions Of The Transition Into Couplehood In Later Life (peer-reviewed) – at ESA Conference, Research Session “Quantitative Analysis in Ageing Research (I)”, 2^nd September, Barcelona.

Wanka, A., L. Bischoff und A. Franke (2021). Transformations of ‘Resonance’: Affective Choreographies Throughout Life Course Transitions (peer-reviewed) – co-author at ESA Conference, Research Session “Life course, family and intergenerational relationships”, 1^st September, Barcelona.

Bischoff, L. (2021). Becoming Single in Older Age. The Socially Structured Doing of the Transition into Singlehood Examined from an Intersectional Perspective. – Poster presentation at Nordic Gerontology Congress “The Age of Ageing”, 2^nd-4^th June, Reykjavik.

Bischoff, L. (2020). Becoming Single in Older Age. Doing Transitions into Singlehood from an Intersectional Perspective – Poster presentation at international conference „Doing Transition sin the Life Course“, 17^th-19^th February, Tübingen.

Teaching

Bischoff, L. (2021). Mixed-Methods und Übergangsforschung. Am Beispiel von Übergängen in die Partner:innenlosigkeit im höheren Lebensalter – Guest lecture in the seminar “Zu Übergängen forschen: Perspektiven und Methoden zur Erforschung von Übergängen im Lebenslauf” Dr. Jessica Lütgens and Dr. Anna Wanka, 17^th May.

Wanka A. and L. Bischoff (2021). Resonanz. Transformationen des Selbst- und Weltverhältnisses an Übergängen im Alter – Guest lecture in the seminar “Einführung in die Pädagogik des Erwachsenenalters: Das höhere Alter als (pädagogische) Herausforderung” Prof. Dr. Frank Oswald, 10^th May.

Schwertel, T., S. Niedoba and L. Bischoff (2020). Übergänge und Bewältigung – Guest lecture in the seminar “Zu Übergängen forschen” Dr. Jessica Lütgens and Dr. Anna Wanka, Summer term 20.

Memberships

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Soziologie (DGS), Sektion Alter(n) und Gesellschaft

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gerontologie und Geriatrie e.V.

European Sociological Association

Arbeitskreis Mixed-Methods der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Soziologie