Utrecht University invites applications for a PhD research position at the Faculty of Geosciences in a project examining local policy variation on abortion clinic buffer zones in the Netherlands and its national rescaling potential.

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After decades of increasing sexual and reproductive rights, the controversy surrounding abortion has been reignited by the rise of right-wing conservatism across Europe. In this tense climate, powerful political actors and different social groups are increasingly competing for their right to claim city space as the arena from which to inform and control the public opinion. On the one hand, pro- and anti-choice demonstrations reveal how the debate around abortion has shifted from the political to the public sphere, making city space a vital terrain for gender and reproductive politics. On the other, the proliferation of local policy tools to safeguard access to abortion in the face of state conservatism points to cities’ role in enacting a new moral frontier in the fight for reproductive rights.

To unravel the scalar entanglement of gender, (city) space, and morality in the abortion debates, this PhD project zooms in on the micro-geographies of abortion clinic buffer zones in the Netherlands. Following the recent resurgence of a militant anti-abortion movement whose activists increasingly line up outside abortion clinics, pro-choice groups have been advocating for the adoption of a national buffer zone law to keep protesters away from patients and protecting the privacy and wellbeing of those seeking to terminate a pregnancy. While, to date, the Dutch parliament has failed to find an agreement on this matter, a series of medium-sized and large municipalities – including The Hague, Rotterdam, and Arnhem – have been able to pass their own local policies to regulate disruptive clinic protests.

By connecting political geography scholarship on scale with feminist and moral geography, this PhD project engages buffer zones as the spatial manifestation of contentious reproductive politics in the Netherlands and offers a novel point of departure from which to conceptualise and study the gendered right to the city. It also investigates how local buffer zone policy could be rescaled to the national level, as well as the challenges and opportunities this would yield.

The tasks of the PhD candidate will include the following:

• carrying out qualitative research activities. Possible methods include - but are not limited to – policy analysis, ethnographic observation, and expert interviews in selected Dutch municipalities with and without a functioning buffer zone;
• publishing research results in the form of academic papers and policy reports, as well as through creative forms of dissemination (e.g. podcast, blog);
• co-organising public engagement activities (e.g. one or more expert meetings with a variety of stakeholders to reflect on the project’s findings and recommendations for policy, one or more public events for lay audiences to facilitate discussion about the wider social, cultural, and political implications of the urban struggle over reproductive rights).

In addition to research-related activities, the PhD candidate will contribute to transposing the findings of the project into regular urban geography and planning education at Bachelor's and Master's level as well as into training for professionals.

We are looking for an enthusiastic, motivated, and proactive team member. The ideal candidate has:

• a Master’s degree in Human Geography, Gender Studies, Anthropology, Sociology, or other related fields with a clear affinity for geographical and/or planning research;
• demonstrated experience in the use of qualitative and ethnographic research methods;
• a near-native level of Dutch and excellent academic writing skills in English;
• strong familiarity with debates around inclusive and just cities, gender equality and/or reproductive politics/governance;
• ability to work with a range of stakeholders and do field research;
• versatile communication skills to effectively interact with the different actors and stakeholders involved.

We offer:

• a position for one year, with an extension to a total of four years upon a successful assessment in the first year, and with the specific intent that it results in a doctorate within this period;
• a working week of 36 hours and a gross monthly salary between €2,770 and €3,539 in the case of full-time employment (salary scale P under the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU);
• 8% holiday pay and 8.3% year-end bonus;
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave and flexible terms of employment based on the CAO NU.

In addition to the terms of employment laid down in the CAO NU, Utrecht University has a number of schemes and facilities of its own for employees. This includes schemes facilitating professional development, leave schemes and schemes for sports and cultural activities, as well as discounts on software and other IT products. We also offer access to additional employee benefits through our Terms of Employment Options Model. In this way, we encourage our employees to continue to invest in their growth. For more information, please visit Working at Utrecht University.

Universiteit Utrecht

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major strategic themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Pathways to Sustainability. Shaping science, sharing tomorrow.

Utrecht University’s Faculty of Geosciences studies the Earth: from the Earth’s core to its surface, including man’s spatial and material utilisation of the Earth – always with a focus on sustainability and innovation. With 3,400 students (BSc and MSc) and 720 staff, the faculty is a strong and challenging organisation. The Faculty of Geosciences is organised in four Departments: Earth Sciences, Human Geography & Spatial Planning, Physical Geography, and Sustainable Development.