Winner Volkskrant-IISG thesis award 2024
Wieke Metzlar went home with the Volkskrant-IISG thesis award 2024 for her thesis on patterns and determinants of excess mortality among girls in Maastricht between 1864 and 1930. Her thesis stood out for its originality and clarity.
Adriejan van Veen, chairman of the jury praised her thesis in his laudation with the words:
“Wieke formulates several hypotheses to explain excess mortality: from, surely, biological causes, to different roles for boys and girls in the household or at work, to gender discrimination, such as less food for girls in poor families. She relates this to numerous broader variables, including class and economic context, and methodically researches one possible cause after another in the abundant numerical material. Despite the quantitative nature of the thesis, it reads like a detective story.”
Finalists Suzanne Ros and Valentijn Tilder also received words of praise. All finalists held a pitch and were interviewed by Volkskrant science journalist Tonie Mudde. An article about Wieke's thesis appeared in the Volkskrant. In addition, this festive evening featured music by Dylan Hokstam and Fabian van der Knaap.
