Project description
Mapping the social burden of loss
People today are living much longer than several decades ago. It is a time of unprecedented longevity, where many families have members across generations. However, this progress comes at a price. It is shadowed by deep social inequalities in mortality, creating stark disparities in how individuals experience the loss of loved ones. The ERC-funded DEM-LOSS project aims to address a critical research gap by examining how demographic factors and family structures shape the burden of bereavement. By comparing population data from Israel and Sweden, the project will be able to develop a revolutionary method to study how socioeconomic conditions affect the life course of the bereaved.
Objective
Due to the rise in human longevity, many individuals in low-mortality countries can now expect to grow old, to be survived by their children, and to know their grandchildren. Yet, these prospects are not equally shared. Social inequalities in mortality persist and may lead to inequalities in family bereavement. How exposure to bereavement is internalized by individuals and shapes their lives is a key sociological question, with the potential to establish a new research program at the intersection of social stratification, mortality, and kinship demography.
Few studies have examined the impact of mortality inequalities from the perspective of the bereaved. Thus, little is known about (1) how demographic factors shape exposure to family bereavement across the life course; (2) how the burden of bereavement varies across social groups; (3) whether inequalities in bereavement give rise to different modes of feeling, thinking, and acting.
This study aims to fill this gap by developing a demographic framework of bereavement. First, drawing on life course theory, it conceptualizes the burden of bereavement with respect to intensity (repeated exposure to kin deaths), timing during the life course, and anticipation of the loss. Second, drawing on kinship demography, it recognizes that family bereavement is shaped by variation in kin structure, in addition to differences in kin mortality. Third, motivated by theories of macro-micro relations, it links demographic rates to subjective expectations, wellbeing, and behaviors.
The framework will be applied to and compared across Sweden and Israel. Using complete population microdata to trace multi-generational kin networks, the study will estimate the burden of bereavement by age, across cohorts. It will estimate socioeconomic and ethnic inequalities in bereavement and decompose them to differences in kin structure and kin mortality. Using survey data, it will explore the relationship between bereavement and individual outcomes.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
You need to log in or register to use this function
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-COG
See all projects funded under this callHost institution
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
69978 Tel Aviv
Israel
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.