Dr. Hildegard Theobald

Dr. Hildegard Theobald is a professor at the University of Vechta in Germany. Her research focuses on international comparative welfare research in the area of long-term care, i.e. long-term care systems and policies, care work, professionalization and migration. She is in particular interested in the intersection of gender, class, and ethnicity-based inequalities in these areas. She was a guest professor at the University of Aarhus in Denmark, the University of Osaka in Japan, Institute for Future Studies in Sweden and the European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research in Austria. Her recent work focuses on reform policies and the situation of professional long-term care workers in Germany as well as in a cross-country comparative perspective (e.g. Canada, Sweden, Japan, Korea). Her research work is used both in science and in politics in Germany. She has published widely in national and international journals and co-authored books. Her most recent article: Theobald, H. (2025). Reform policies and distribution struggles in the elder care sector in Germany. International Journal of Care and Caring.