Wieke Metzlar winner of Volkskrant-IISG History Thesis Award

Wieke Metzlar, member of the 2024 PhD cohort of the N.W. Posthumus Institute, has won the Volkskrant-IISG History Thesis Award. The Volkskrant-IISG Thesis Award is annually awarded to the best history-related Master’s thesis in the Netherlands.

In the Master’s thesis, Wieke researched causes for excessive mortality rates in girls compared to boys in 19th-century Maastricht. Strikingly, the conclusion was that girls were more at risk than boys. Wieke’s research showed that girls often resided indoors, exposing them to worse hygienic conditions and illness due to having to care for sick family members, leading to an elevated risk of mortality.

The judges praised Wieke’s thesis for its careful approach and its societal relevance, showinghow historical research can help to better understand gender-related health disparities.

The N.W. Posthumus Institute congratulates Wieke with this award!

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