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Katja Rost became known beyond the academic world for her often controversial studies.
John Flury
Swiss sociologist Katja Rost has died. The longtime professor at the University of Zurich died at the age of 50 after a serious illness. She became known for her analyses of social issues.
Swiss sociologist and professor Katja Rost has died. She passed away on June 20 at the age of 50 following a serious illness, according to the *Neue Zürcher Zeitung*.
Rost was a professor of sociology at the University of Zurich. She became known to a wider public through her studies and statements on social and economic issues. Among other topics, she spoke out on gender equality, diversity, and the effects of quotas for women.
Katja Rost faced criticism for her study on the so-called “leaky pipeline”—the phenomenon in which the proportion of women at universities declines at every career stage. The controversial finding: the main reason for this was said to be differences in the interests and life plans of women and men. It was claimed that women’s views on family tend to be more conservative, and that they prefer a partner who is older and more successful than they are. The reactions were correspondingly fierce. The media debated the study, and at the university, signatures were collected in opposition to Rost and her co-author Margit Osterloh.
Katja Rost suffered from multiple myeloma, an incurable form of bone marrow cancer. She received the diagnosis about eight years ago. In recent months, the disease flared up more and more frequently, and she had to undergo treatment several times.
Rost is survived by her husband and a twelve-year-old son.
