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Tourists with Moroccan names are more likely to be refused a reservation Tourists with Moroccan-sounding names experience structural discrimination on Airbnb. This is the result uncovered by a new study conducted by Professor Pieter-Paul Verhaeghe and his team at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. For their research, the sociologists conducted 1,043 mail tests on Airbnb during the summer of 2021.

When it comes to well-being at work, self-employed people are often overlooked. In her doctoral study, occupational sociologist Jessie Gevaert investigated working conditions and mental well-being among those working for themselves. She concludes that precarious working conditions among self-employed workers can have serious consequences for their mental well-being.

A new study finds that five of the largest platform companies in Belgium fail to offer fair working conditions. The Fairwork research project in Belgium,  at the Centre for Sociological Research at KU Leuven and in collaboration with the University of Oxford, rated the working conditions of Takeaway, Ring Twice, Deliveroo, Yoopies, and Top Help.

The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded its Consolidator Grants. Four KU Leuven researchers are among this year's recipients: bioscience engineer Rob Ameloot, theologist Christina Kreinecker, pediatric nephrologist Elena Levtchenko, and astronomer Jon Sundqvist.

On Thursday, the long-awaited court case against Deliveroo starts in Brussels. The central question is whether the e-commerce company allows its couriers to work as self-employed workers unjustly, which means they have hardly any access to social rights. Research by VUB researcher Elief Vandevenne has shown that in many cases, working conditions are precarious and uncertain.

Better student jobs bring more satisfaction and less negative effects on academic results Students are increasingly taking on jobs while they are at university, including many VUB students. Since a relaxation of the regulations on student work in 2017, the number of hours of student work and the number of students with one or more jobs has steadily increased.

Researchers evaluate relationship between pandemic and occupational health Wednesday, April 7, 2021 — Commissioned by the ETUI, the research institute of the European Trade Union Confederation, Damini Purkayastha, Christophe Vanroelen and their colleagues at VUB's Interface Demography research group examined the relationship between occupational health and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Social media are buzzing with hashtags like #hotdaddy and blog posts à la 'How to get your husband to help out around the house.' The idea that women are attracted to men who are willing to set aside their career in favour of their family has now also been supported by research conducted by Dr Loes Meussen.