Entscheidungsfindung für einen internationalen Freiwilligendienst – Welche Rolle spielen soziale Herkunft und Bildungsverlauf der Freiwilligen?

Henrike Genzel & Anja Franz: Decision Making for a Long Term International Voluntary Service – Which Role Do Social and Educational Background Play?): The article attempts to reveal differences in the decision process for a long term international voluntary service. Those differences are analyzed with regards to the social, as well as the educational background, of the people making the decisions. The findings are discussed in view of rational choice theories based on Boudon (1974). Guided interviews with future or former “traditional” and “non-traditional” volunteers from the organization “Aktion Sühnezeichen e.V.” are used as data basis. The results show that the motivation, as well as the decision process, are influenced by the individual access to voluntary services. “Non-traditional” volunteers often structure their decisions based on occasions whereas the “traditional” volunteer’s decision are mostly shaped by rational arguments. Financial costs and an inflexible flow of information are identified as structural barriers.