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The purpose of this study was to investigate how young people perceive living in a social vulnerable area, how they perceive the media image as well as what constraints and opportunities the housing area implies for their future.

To answer our questions, we have used qualitative semistructured interviews with six adolescents in the social vulnerable Stockholm suburb Tensta. Theories that we have used in the processing of data collection are recognition theory and the stigma theory of Goffman.

The results of the interviews show that the adolescents enjoys living in the area despite the neglected media image of Tensta. Their own perception of the area differs from the perceived media image. At the same time, adolescents realized that their own future goals are not limited by the area in which they live, but governed by the individual's own will to succeed.

Denna hermeneutiska studie undersöker hur husdjur, särskilt hundar och katter, påverkar fysiska, emotionella och sociala dimensioner av livskvaliteten för yngre vuxna kvinnor i det svenska samhället, med utgångspunkt i teoretiska perspektiv från symbolisk interaktionismen (Mead) och resonansteorin (Rosa). Genom att kombinera dessa ramverk har kvalitativa intervjuer genomförts för att belysa husdjursägandets inverkan på fysisk aktivitet, emotionell stabilitet (såsom hantering av stress och ångest) samt social gemenskap.

Resultaten visar att husdjuren kontinuerligt erbjuder emotionellt stöd som främjar psykologisk motståndskraft, särskilt vid stress eller ångest. Samtidigt fungerar husdjur som katalysatorer för motion och sociala relationer. Ansvarstagandet, det emotionella bandet och vardagens struktur som husdjuren medför ger en komplex påverkan på ägarnas välbefinnande, där både positiva och utmanande aspekter samspelar och fördjupar förståelsen av husdjurets roll i kvinnornas liv som kräver reflektion och balans. Husdjuren stärker kvinnornas identitet och välbefinnande genom resonans och symbolisk interaktion, där de emotionella banden mellan ägare och husdjur bidrar till en känsla av samklang med omvärlden och förstärker individens identitet och välbefinnande. Husdjuren blir en del av ägarens existentiella sammanhang, vilket formar deras världsuppfattning och livskvalitet. Detta illustrerar hur en balans skapas mellan fysisk aktivitet och emotionell stabilitet samt social gemenskap samverkar med husdjuret, vilket bidrar till en balanserad livskvalitet i ett helhetligt stöd.

Sweden is well known for its family policy and this study explores whether fathers’ parental leave is related to later division of childcare and housework. Two materials were used; a panel survey (2003, 2009) and an interview study (2008). Respondents in the survey had their first child between the waves and the interview-study focused on parents of 2–3 year olds. The survey is analyzed by logistic regression and the interviews by grounded theory. The results indicate that when fathers took long leave parents shared both household tasks and childcare more equally after the leave. Higher expectations of sharing childcare is related to a higher share of divided childcare once becoming parents, although it seems that some tasks are more often shared than others. When the father took long leave both parents mention that the child relates to the father as much as the mother in everyday life.

This chapter investigated Swedish and US fathers’ experiences of work-family conflict, possible solutions, and actual changes to their work situation in relation to becoming a parent. The Swedish data were drawn from interviews completed in 2008 with 16 fathers with a child born in 2005 or 2006. The US data came from interviews conducted between 2005 and 2007 with 26 fathers with at least one child age five or younger. The Swedish semi-structured interviews were analyzed according to grounded theory. In terms of conflicts, half of the Swedish fathers mention time pressures or stress, with some referring to work-life balance as a puzzle. Findings indicate that the US fathers think that they work too much overtime as well as shift hours, and they also mention arguments with their partner about responsibility at home. At the same time, a majority of both US and Swedish fathers emphasize family as a priority over work. In terms of possible solutions, a common theme among Swedish fathers is to mention that ideal work hours would be less than their current hours, with some wishing for a shorter work week (e.g., 4 days) and others a shorter work day (e.g., 6 hours). US fathers most commonly wish for a more flexible work-life situation. In terms of actual changes, several fathers adjust their work lives in response to their family life. Among Swedish fathers, the most common changes involve working fewer hours, adjusting their start and end times, and taking advantage of flexible hours. Swedish fathers also emphasize trading off with their partners, including ‘shift parenting.’ As for US fathers, some have changed their job to be more at home, some changed from working three shifts and some fathers solved the situation by intense work during a limited time.

Gambling with money comes in different forms and have become a part of many people's everyday lives, unfortunately not everyone can handle the game. Compulsive gambling affects the person who has a constant search for money and playing time, that gives consequences and feelings that are difficult to manage. The addiction affects people in the environment as employers, friends, family, children and others who all become part of an addiction. This qualitative study intends to study how a person enters a gambling addiction, how the person maintains a life as a compulsive gambler and how the person enter the abuse. Our purpose of the study is to gain a deeper understanding and to identify what emotions the addiction brings. We have conducted in-depth interviews with eight people and the interpretation and analysis has been hermeneutic. Through our analysis seven themes have been distinguished interest in the game at an early age, entry into gambling addiction, anxiety, guilt and shame, escapism, changes in the identity and behavior, relationships and interactions and finally strategies. We have taken note of the arrest of eight stories and found that compulsive gambling entails serious consequences for the individual but also for people in the surroundings. Compulsive gambling is important to highlight and promote in the community as it is a growing problem that affects many and it is often a hidden addiction.

Denna studie syftar till att beskriva hur ser gymkulturen ut i en mindre svenskstad. Genom att undersöka gymkulturen som ett socialt fenomen om hur medlemmar socialt samspelar med varandra och vilka beteendemönster urskiljer hos gruppen gymbesökare. En etnografisk metod antas med sex deltagande observationer och fyra informella intervjuer i form av bekvämlighetsurval strävan efter att besvara studiens frågeställning: Hur ser gymkulturen ut i gymmet i mindre svensk stad? Tillsammans med etnometodologi genom att utföra två mindre socialt fält experiment eller störning under fältarbetet för att hjälpa studien att belysa resultatet. Genom att förena det teoretiska ramverket, dramaturgiska perspektivet och undersöka hur gymgästerna samspelar med varandra, hur de styr varandra med utifrån bland annat intrycksstyrning, via tekniker är det vanligt förekommande och det sker främst utifrån icke verbal kommunaktion. Studien styrker tidigare forskning som visat att gymkulturen handlar om identitet, kropp, hälsa och kultur. Resultatet visar fem huvudteman som besvarar på studiens frågeställning genom det insamlade material från deltagande observation och informella intervjuer, resultat påpekar olika synpunkter som lyfter fram hur ser gymkultur i svensk mindre stad. Slutsatsen gymmiljö lutar sig åt individualism och är full av normer och oskrivna regler som skapats av medlemmarna själva.

The aim of this article is to develop an analytical framework for understanding involuntary marriages from a human rights perspective based on the United Nations’ human rights conventions and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. The empirical material used as a basis for an analytical framework consists of 16 thematic open-ended interviews with Kurds in Sweden. A total of eight of the 16 respondents were below 18 years of age when they married. The results from these interviews show that the majority of interviewees’ marriages are arranged. The results also show that the reasons behind these marriages and the consequences of them are complex and go beyond being mere expressions of gender roles. In addition to the fathers who typically have greater influence than the mothers do, there are differences in power and influence among women as well, such as mothers’ power over daughters and step-mothers’ power over step-daughters. Therefore, there is a need for new and wider perspectives on involuntary marriages, and the analytical framework developed in this article is a part of such a purpose.

When people suffer from a traumatic crisis that destroys their lives, they are forced to try and

rebuild their everyday lives again. Some do this by writing blogs about their thoughts and

feelings regarding the crisis. Why is it that so many people choose to display their suffering

in a public forum? With the help of grounded theory, we investigate the most central aspects

of blogging about traumatic crises in order to create a greater understanding of this contemporary

phenomenon. Through interviews and the study of blogs, it is revealed that the people

behind the blogs are able to make their voices heard on their own terms, to spread their story

and to reflect on their own journey. This, alongside the support they recieve through the

feedback from their readers, make them experience increased well-being. With the help of

selected parts from Giddens' theory on modernity, we place the phenomenon of cirisis blogs

in a comtemporary context and through Frank's theories regarding narratives, we explain how

important it is to create and share stories for people affected by some form of crisis.

This presentation analyses gender-based harassment in terms of bullying and sexual harassment among university students within the academy sector in Sweden. Bullying and harassment are severe risk factors in the psychosocial work environment, affecting both performance and health. This study is part of a collaboration program between four universities in Sweden with the aim to create research-based knowledge for the prevention of gender-based harassment (GBH) in Swedish academia.

This study was conducted during Covid-19. Preliminary results show that GBH is more prevalent among university students than among staff. In total, 4.8 percent of university students in Sweden state that they have been subjected to sexual harassment (SH) at the university during the last 12 months. Among women, a larger proportion state that they have been exposed (5.7 %), compared to men (3.2 %). A pilot study prior to the larger prevalence study was conducted in the fall of 2020, an early stage of Covid-19. In the pilot study, 7 percent of university students (women 9.1%; men 3.1%) stated that they had been subjected to SH during the last 12 months. Consequently, results show a decrease in SH, especially among women. Furthermore, in the large-scale prevalence study one question asked respondents if Covid-19 had increased or decreased their vulnerability. Results show that about 11 percent of the women reported that exposure had decreased during Covid-19.

Regarding methodological considerations, a previous review study shows that students exposed to SH seldom file official reports but they frequently face a variety of mental and physical health consequences. Also, how questions about sexual harassment are stated most likely affects response rates among university students. To work for a sustainable and inclusive working life free from gender-based harassment, we need to continue to monitor the development over time in the academia in Sweden.

The wage differential between women and men persists in advanced economies despite the inflow of women into qualified occupations in recent years. Using five waves of the Swedish Level-of-Living Survey (LNU), this paper explores the gender wage gap in Sweden during the 1974–2010 period overall and by skill level. The empirical analyses showed that the general gender wage gap has been nearly unchanged for the past 30 years. However, the gender difference in wage in less qualified occupations fell considerably, whereas the gender pay gap remained stable for men and women in qualified occupations. The larger significance of family responsibilities for wages in qualified occupations is one likely explanation for this result.

Ethno-racial workplace segregation increases already existing ethno-racial inequality. While previous research has identified discriminatory employers as drivers of workplace segregation, this study addresses the role of the employees. Sociological and social psychological theory suggest that people prefer to surround themselves with people who positively confirm their social identity or who contribute with higher group status. Through web-based surveys, we measure employee attitudes and preferences concerning ethno-racial workplace diversity, to what extent they differ by ethnicity/race, and if they contain intersectional patterns. Thereafter, we use simulation models to analyze the consequences for workplace segregation that these preferences would have, if realized. The main survey results showed that all ethno-racial groups favored their own in-group as colleagues, especially European Americans. As a secondary choice, the respondents preferred the out-group with the highest labor market status. Intersectional patterns were identified, as minority women were preferred as colleagues over minority men. Our simulation model, based on the results of two surveys on stated vs. indirectly revealed preferences, showed that employee preferences were at best not diverse enough to desegregate workplaces. When based on the most common preferences (i.e. excluding a few outliers), the simulations even suggested that these preferences can cause segregation. We relate these findings to Schelling's model of segregation.

Based on a representative sample of Stockholm schoolchildren born in 1943, the association between the height at 10 years of age and the selection to higher and lower education at the same age was examined for upper and lower social groups defined by the father's occupational status. The hypothesis that there is a link between height and change of social position even among children was examined. Upwardly mobile boys (lower class boys selected for higher education) were taller than those staying in their social position. Downwardly mobile boys (higher class boys selected only for elementary education) were smaller than those remaining in their social position. The same tendency was found for girls - although not statistically significant.

Social stratification is present in all modern societies. Do income dif-ferences simply reflect inherited differences in individual abilities and re-sources? If not, why does not everyone choose strategies that lead to highincome? This paper shows that the psychological phenomenon known astemporal discounting will lead to differences in educational attainmentand therefore social stratification in any society where the demand forworkers with a higher level of education is higher than for those witha lower level. The model is used to predict income differences betweenpeople with and without college education in seven developed countries,based only on official statistics of the cost and length of college education.The model explains 93 percent of the variance, strongly suggesting thattemporal discounting is a major factor behind income differences.

The extensive division of labor in human societies is one of the aspects that make them unique. There are many areas which are influenced by this division. The most obvious one might be the economy, where division of labor yields much higher production. However, as we will show in this survey, a lot of other areas which affect society are influenced by division of labor, such as population size and density, technology, trade, accumulation of knowledge, social stratification, political organization, and institutions. Even the size of the family is argued to be linked to division of labor and specialization.This review will discuss how specialization evolved, including both theoretical and empirical studies from several disciplines. We will also study different kinds of specialization, as well as how and in which areas specialization has an influence.

Denna studie undersöker ungdomars upplevelse av astrologi och annan spiritualitet i dagens senmoderna samhälle. Syftet har varit att komma åt ungdomarnas livsvärldar och undersöka på djupet hur de upplever astrologi och om det används för att hantera svåra livskriser, där fokuset främst har legat på covid-19-pandemin. Grunden till vårt syfte kommer från ett intresse för att undersöka hanteringen av coronapandemin på individnivå, där vi är särskilt intresserade av att undersöka om spiritualiteten har någon plats i ungdomars sätt att hantera svåra livskriser i det senmoderna samhället.

Studien har sin teoretiska utgångspunkt i Giddens teorier om det senmoderna samhället, ontologisk trygghet och självets reflexiva projekt. Vidare har den tagit stöd i sekulärt existentiellt meningsskapande coping. Utifrån en hermeneutisk metodansats har tio semistrukturerade intervjuer hållits med ungdomar mellan åldrarna 18 till 25. Studiens resultat presenterar en huvudtolkning som belyser att dagens ungdomar tenderar att ta det som det kommer och lita på att situationer löser sig. Deras tillvägagångssätt för att klara av att finna sig i det varierar, men vi menar att astrologin och spiritualiteten ändå har en märkbar närvaro på ett eller annat sätt.

Using gut instinct as assessment base in recruitment processes are considered outdated and research indicates that it results in discrimination and recruiting the wrong candidates. Instead competency-based recruitment should be used, to increase diversity. The aim was to study what recruiters consider are most important when choosing employees as well as what impact their gut instinct has in the selection. The perception of twelve recruiters has been analysed with qualitative content analysis. Results shows that different assessment bases are used and there’s a difference between industries. In some industries, personality and intelligence tests are used while other industries prefer presence or a fit into the team. Gut instinct has an impact on all recruitment processes and can lead to both discrimination and a good match between the person and the service, highly dependent on the recruiter’s experience in the profession. The assessment is more objective the more assessment bases used.

Sociala medier har i det senmoderna samhället växt sig stort och blivit en vardag i många individers liv. På Instagram publiceras dagligen inlägg med olika syften vilka ofta inte uppfattas medvetet. Med denna studie fokuserar vi på hur svenska kända kvinnor framställer kvinnokroppen på Instagram. Hur de utifrån olika ställningstaganden tar upp feministiska synpunkter, utmanar det västerländska kroppsidealet och hur de vill vara med och bredda synen den normativa kvinnokroppen. Vi har utgått från den digitala tidskriften för unga kvinnor, Veckorevyn, som i januari 2017, publicerade en lista med “25 kända kvinnor du borde följa på Instagram”. Utifrån denna lista valde vi sedan ut de sex kvinnor som var svenska för att analysera bild och tillhörande text. För att uppnå studiens syfte, att synliggöra hur kvinnokroppen konstrueras och förmedlas av de sex kända kvinnorna har vi använt oss av en netnografisk metodansats med semiotisk analysmetod. Resultatet visar att de kända kvinnorna gör ställningstaganden som syftar till att ge utrymme för att omvärdera och utmana det normativa könsroller som vi upplever finns i dagens samhälle. Ett omvärderande av de värderingar som finns i det senmoderna samhället, menar vi skulle kunna leda till att acceptansen kring kvinnans kropp ska expandera och skapa en ny bild av vad som är normativt inom det västerländska skönhetsidealet och könsneutralisera stereotypiska könsuttryck som tillskrivs kvinna som kön. 

Den stora tillgängligheten till Internet har inneburit att allt fler människor börjat kommunicera och interagera online, både via sociala medier och onlinespel. Antalet nya plattformar där människor med samma intresse kan mötas och interagera ökar hela tiden. En av alla dessa plattformar är Twitch där individer kan välja att sända live när de spelar dator- och tv-spel medan andra kan välja att agera publik. Utifrån grundad teori undersöker vi hur personer upplever att streama via Twitch och vilka de mest centrala aspekterna av detta är i syfte att öka förståelsen kring detta relativt nya fenomen. Genom intervjuer, frågeformulär och observationer lyfter studien fram hur dessa personer upplever bland annat gemenskap, krav, frustration och näthat genom streamingen. Resultatet visar bland annat på att det är upplevelsen av gemenskap som är det mest centrala inom fenomenet och i de flesta fall det som gör att personerna väljer att ägna sig åt streaming. Utifrån Giddens teori om det senmoderna samhället kopplas fenomenet till ett nutida sammanhang och med Goffmans teorier om roller belyses samspelet mellan streamarna och deras tittare.

In current research, the extensive family policies of the Scandinavian countries have been problematized and described as hampering women?s careers. However, mechanisms have been little investigated and the Scandinavian countries are often regarded as a single policy model. Based on an account of institutional variety we study gender gaps in hourly wages and access to authority positions in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden and explore the importance of segregation, skills and work interruptions. The analysis uses pooled cross-sectional data from the European Social Survey (ESS) for 2004 and 2010. The results show that gender gaps vary both in size and regarding the mechanisms producing them. In particular, we find that gender segregation has a radically different impact in the four countries. The analysis suggests that the mechanisms linking family policies to labour market outcomes are more complex than envisaged in the current debate and point to the importance of comparing seemingly similar countries.

Family migration constitutes by far the largest form of entry into countries with established democracies. Yet, it remains widely neglected in the literature on public attitudes. One of the key challenges in researching this topic is its inherent complexity. Family migration involves not only the claims of outsiders seeking entry, but also those of insiders wishing to reunite with family members. To address both dimensions simultaneously, we designed a conjoint survey experiment using an innovative dyadic approach. Respondents were presented with hypothetical cases of aspiring family migrants, alongside their respective family members already residing in the destination country. Key attributes, such as financial resources and types of family relationships, were randomized for each pair. We conducted the survey with 5,000 respondents across France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Our results suggest that respondents pay close attention to the characteristics of the incoming family migrant, such as language skills, while also being concerned with the economic resources of the family member already residing in the destination country. These findings indicate that research on public attitudes cannot treat family reunification as just one among many immigration motives. Study designs must also systematically account for the status of the family member already living in the destination country.

This presentation will address the digitalization of disability services in Sweden, specifically focusing on the uneasy alliance between service users and frontline care workers engaging with and through assistive products and information and communication technology as part of everyday care and service provision. In Sweden, adults with intellectual disability (ID) who are not employed or enrolled as students have a right to support with meaningful activities which are typically organized at or through day centres. As the initial wave of the Covid-19 pandemic hit Sweden in early spring 2020, over one third of local municipal authorities made the decision to abruptly close all day centres to visitors and to suspend their regular activities for an unforeseen period of time (Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare 2021). The presentation draws upon data from a research project on the provision of meaningful activities at day centres for adults with ID during and in the wake of the pandemic, including interviews with service users, frontline care workers, and managers at five day centres. These were day centres which had all transitioned from primarily providing daily activities on-site to instead offering activities partly through various digital means. As part of the presentation, we will illustrate how service users were made vulnerable by the actions of frontline care workers at the day centres and in their home environments, as staff at both sites laboured to find common ground in working with digital technologies as part social situations riddled by risk and uncertainty. Moreover, we will show how day centre staff in turn were made vulnerable by the actions of local municipal authorities, as the former were left fumbling in the dark and experimenting with different ways of facilitating meaningful activities digitally during a time when few knew what was possible, reasonable, or legally permissible to do. The presentation will conclude with comments on the current state of providing meaningful activities to adults with ID through digital technologies and the potential future prospects this has for reducing the digital divide affecting this group (cf. Bryant et al. 2012; Johansson et al. 2021).

In Sweden, professionalization projects in disability care services are currently being undertaken in order to differentiate and establish a professional identity for professionals within care work. The aim of this paper was to analyse the experiences of care workers’ meaning of the professionalization process concerning their occupation and their occupational identity in relation to tasks they perform in front-line contacts with persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities at respite care service homes. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten care workers. The meaning of the professionalization projects is an ongoing process of a connected mission, meaning that the care work is performed in close contact with care receivers and that it takes place within an informal and free framework, predicated on a logic of possessing a particular kind of “care-feeling.”

Statistics made available by the Swedish Migration Agency (SMA) make it possible to follow the outcomes of asylum applications made by unaccompanied children (types of permits, percentage of rejections etc.). Yet, we know little about what unaccompanied children report in asylum procedure, or how their heterogeneous asylum claims influence the possibilities of being approved or rejected. In addition, we do not know if there are differences in reporting between boys and girls, and if so, these potential differences influence the possibility of receiving residency.

We decided to explore what unaccompanied children report using a mixed method approach. Asylum decisions concerning unaccompanied children were first coded inductively. These codes were later merged into larger categories that were analyzed quantitatively by regression analysis. The data sample consisted of 2321 asylum decisions (one calendar year) issued by the SMA. Overall, the results show that female gender has a negative influence on asylum outcomes. This difference is however reduced if the girl has reported a violent death by a next of kin. Moreover, there is an indication that girls report sexual violence to a larger extent than boys. However, the number of girls in the data sample was smaller (14.1 %), so when examining the group of children reporting sexual violence, the reporting by boys was slightly higher (in percentage). The results can provide insights about gender equality in asylum procedure, perceptions of children as active migrants and victimization.

Denna studie handlar om bemanningsanställdas upplevelser av att arbeta inom bemanning. Detta fenomen är erhåller både sociologisk och samhällelig relevans arbete via bemanning blir allt vanligare på den svenska arbetsmarknaden. Studien grundar sig i två teorier: Erich Fromms existentiella Flykten från friheten och Att ha eller att vara, samt Guy Standings Prekariatet – den nya farliga klassen. I vår studie har vi utfört tio semistrukturerade intervjuer och tolkats utifrån en hermeneutisk metodansats. Den hermeneutiska metodansats som används i studien bidrar till ett fördjupa kunskapen om individens upplevelser i relation till denna relevans. Studien har resulterat i en huvudtolkning Arbetstagaren i limbo bestående av tre spänningar: Strävan efter kontinuitet i ett föränderligt liv kontra strävan efter självförverkligande, Frihet från kontra frihet till samt Mellan det förflutna och nuet   

Denna uppsats beskriver den verklighet fotbollssupportrar lever i. Fem supportrar ger sina syner på deras omgivning och jämförandet mellan att vara ett fotbollsfan och en huligan. Fotbollssupportrarna har fått ge sina åsikter på det allmänna inom läktarkulturen och supporterskapet. Främst har ämnen som supporterskap, huliganism, deras egen betydelse samt den svenska läktarkulturen diskuterats och förvandlats till spännande svar. Med hjälp av Grundad teori har jag samlat det empiriska in materialet och bearbetat dessa intervjuer samt analyserat dessa steg för steg. Slutligen har det gett mig en uppsats som berättar varför supportrarna bråkar, om säkerheten på arenorna och även deras uppfattning om att vara en supporter.

Syftet har varit att få en insikt i supporterskapet och jag förväntar mig att uppsatsen skall ge supporterkritiker och andra intresserade utomstående andra perspektiv och ökad förståelse. Vidare kan även uppsatsen fungera som ett komplement eller en bas för framtida nationell forskning kring ämnet.

The current thesis explores conditions for participation in interview interaction. Drawing on the ethnomethodological idea that knowledge is central to participation in social situations, it examines how interview participants navigate knowledge and competence claims and the institutional and moral implications of these claims. The data consists of, in total, 97 audio-recorded interviews conducted as part of a national Swedish evaluation of support interventions for children exposed to violence. In three studies, I use discursive psychology and conversation analysis to explicate how interview participants in interaction (1) contribute to and negotiate institutional constraints and (2) manage rights and responsibilities related to knowledge.

The findings of study I and study II show that child interviewees actively cooperate with as well as resist the constraints of interview questions. However, the children’s opportunities for participation in this institutional context are limited by two factors: (1) recordability; that is, the focus on generating recordable responses and (2) problematic assumptions underpinning questions and the interpretation of interview answers. Apart from restricting children’s rights to formulate their experiences, these factors can lead interviewers to miss opportunities to gain important information. Also related to institutional constraints, study III shows how the ideal of model consistency is prioritized over service-user participation. Thus, the three studies show how different practices relevant to institutional agendas may hinder participation.

Moreover, the findings contribute to an understanding of how issues of knowledge are managed in the interviews. Study II suggests the importance of the concept of believability to refer to people’s rights and responsibilities to draw conclusions about others’ thoughts. And the findings of study III demonstrate how, in evaluation interviews with social workers, children’s access to their own thoughts and feelings are based on a notion of predetermined participation; that is, constructed as contingent on wanting what the institutional setting offers. Thus, child service users’ low epistemic status, compared to the social workers, trumps their epistemic access to their own minds. These conclusions, about recordability, believability, and predetermined participation, are based on interaction with or about children. However, I argue that the findings relate to interviewees and service users in general. By demonstrating the structuring power of interactive practices, the thesis extends our understanding of conditions for participation in the institutional setting of social research interviews.

Syftet med vår studie är att undersöka frivilligt barnlösa i en svensk kontext. Med grundad teori som metod har vi satt fokus på individernas egna upplevelser kring livsvalet. Tidigare forskning har främst fokuserat på heterosexuella kvinnor samt frågor som handlar om val kontra omständigheter kring beslutet att inte skaffa barn. Den har även kommit att handla om köns- samt rådande samhällsnormer. Forskning inom området är till största del internationell och det finns endast ett fåtal svenska studier om valet av att inte skaffa barn.Vi valde att intervjua nio stycken respondenter för vår studie, där samtliga uppgav sig vara frivilligt barnlösa. För att utvidga urvalet från att enbart handla om heterosexuella kvinnor valde vi således att undersöka individer med olika kön, sexuell läggning samt civilstånd. I den inledande fasen valde vi, förutom personliga intervjuer, även ett urval av intervjuer som vi fick genom en publicerad artikelserie i Dagens Nyheter. Detta med anledning till att utöka data för en större empirisk grund att bygga en teori på. Efter analys av insamlat material stod våra kategorier klara då vi såg att dessa individer ständigt reflekterar över sitt val, både hur det uppfattas av sig själva samt hur det upplevs av omgivningen. Det visade sig att dessa individer upplever sig som ansvarstagande och frihetstörstande men att valet också leder till upplevelsen av att vara en avvikare. Valet har därmed bidragit till att dessa individer blir ifrågasatta men också att de själva ifrågasätter rådande normer, vilket gav upphov till vår kärnkategori den ständigt reflekterande människan samt våra underkategorier, den reflexiva friheten, det reflexiva valet, det reflexiva ansvaret samt den reflexiva normbrytaren.Den teoretiska anknytning vi använt oss av är Anthony Giddens teori om det moderna samhällets uppkomst och dess dynamik, där han talar om tre element, åtskiljande av tid och rum, urbäddning av sociala institutioner, det rena förhållandet samt institutionell reflexivitet. Den tidigare forskningen vi använt oss av för att sedan relatera till vårt resultat har vi delat in i teman, Frivilligt barnlös – val eller omständigheter, brott mot sociala normer, definition av begreppet samt kroppens språk.

Denna studie har utförts inom ramarna för arbetet med Västerås stads nya grönstrukturplan. Syftet är att kartlägga och värdera grönområdenas sociala värden med fokus på jämställdhet. Genom att kartlägga könsrelaterade aspekter i bruket av grönområden i fyra olika stadsdelar försöker studien att genom sociotopkartering, intervjuer och observationer bidra till utvecklingen av en jämställdhetsintegrerad grönstrukturplan och jämställda offentliga miljöer.

Resultatet visar att de flesta brukare av grönområdena är kvinnor, en överrepresentation som till stor del kan bero på att kvinnors liv fortfarande präglas av traditionellt könsrelaterade sociala mönster. Kvinnorna gillar naturen i grönområdena i större utsträckning än männen gör och kvinnorna är också överlag mer nöjda med områdena. De två vanligaste anledningarna till att människor inte besöker grönområdena är att de känner att det inte ligger nära deras hem eller att de inte är intresserade av att besöka en park överhuvudtaget. De flesta besökare till parkerna bor dock nära grönområdet och tar sig dit inom tio minuter, avstånd som anses bidra till en god stadsmiljö. De flesta brukare som ingår i studien känner sig trygga i grönområdena. Närvaro av andra människor och att det finns bostäder i närheten har stor inverkan på denna upplevelse.

I studien framkommer också att upprustning av grönområdena kan vara en värdefull satsning i ett jämställdhetsperspektiv, något som skulle kunna bidra till ett mer jämställt bruk av dem. En satsning på mer naturliga lekplatser och på upprustning som stimulerar till familjeaktiviteter skulle inte endast bidra till mer jämställda grönområdesmiljöer utan även lägga grunden för ökad naturkontakt och förståelse för naturmiljön.

Denna studie undersöker syskonens upplevelser av att ha ett syskon med tidigare narkotikamissbruk. Syftet är att få en djupare förståelse för hur narkotikamissbruket har påverkat deltagarnas privata och sociala liv. För att nå detta mål intervjuades åtta personer som har ett syskon som har haft ett narkotikamissbruk men är ren idag. För att tolka resultaten användes teorierna sociala band, differentiering samt skam och stolthet. En hermeneutisk metodansats användes för att tolka deltagarnas utsagor och förstå deras perspektiv på missbruket. Resultatet visade tre teman; syskonens negativa association till narkotikamissbruk, relation till kris och trygghet och isolering. Resultatet presenteras med hjälp av dessa teman i den fördjupade tolkningen. Intervjupersonerna förklarar sina erfarenheter samt syn på narkotikamissbruk i olika perspektiv. Jag har försökt att presentera deras svar så noga som möjligt så att det lyfter fram känslorna och upplevelserna som de har haft under denna tid.

http://balticworlds.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Ildiko-Asztalos-morell.pdf

I will focus on the ways that agents of NGOs engaged with Roma and/or women’s recognition struggles can be classified, and how these constructions make sense of the conditions forming the lives of Roma women and furthermore how Roma women’s interests are positioned. Detacting the intersecting aspects of ethnic-, gender-, and class-based relations that constitute Roma women’s position, I seek to identify which segments of the complex of relations different NGOs articulate as central. I aim to explore whether Roma women’s NGOs can be seen as more reflexive of the intersectional complexity of Roma women’s relations compared to Roma and women’s organizations.

This paper explores the othering processes and feelings of belonging among international medical graduates (IMGs) who seek to practise medicine in Canada and Sweden. Building on the theoretical literature on othering, belonging, and the conceptualisation of status dilemmas, we explore how IMGs in Canada and Sweden negotiate their professional identity, how they cope with being othered and how they establish a path to belonging. Analysing qualitative interviews with 15 Swedish and 67 Canadian immigrant physicians, who are either practising medicine or are in the process of professional integration, we demonstrate that the construction of professional identity among IMGs necessitates constant comparison between the differences and similarities among ‘us’ – immigrant physicians, and ‘them’ – local doctors. In this process, one’s ethnicity, gender, and professional status are intertwined with the experience of being seen as ‘the Other’. We also show that in negotiating their professional status, IMGs actively interpret the meaning of being a Canadian/Swedish physician. We conclude that feelings of belonging to a professional group (Canadian or Swedish) do not seem to be static but rather fluid, ephemeral and changing, depending on the context. Our analysis suggests that more attention should be paid to the social context in which experiences of processes of being othered and feeling belonging are being constructed and interpreted by people themselves.

Sammanfattning 

Att arbeta inom vård och omsorg kan vara både psykiskt och fysiskt påfrestande. Inom vård och omsorgsyrket är bland annat sjukskrivningar ett återkommande problem. Tanken med denna studie är att undersöka hur samspelet ser ut mellan vårdpersonalen på arbetsplatsen, samt beskriva hur deras vardagliga arbete utspelar sig. Vi utgår från vår frågeställning, hur upplever personalen inom vård och omsorg sitt vardagliga arbete, och hur ser den sociala interaktionen ut mellan arbetskollegorna? För att få en så nära bild av hur personalens arbetssituation ser ut valde vi att genomföra en etnografisk studie. Vi har genomfört deltagarobservationer i två olika verksamheter, ett äldreboende samt ett LSS boende, (ett boende som tillhandahåller stöd och service till vissa funktionshindrade). Observationerna har vi kompletterat med två djupintervjuer med personal inom respektive verksamhet. Vi har använt Fines (2012) teori om små grupper för att tolka och analysera interaktionen som sker mellan personalen i de olika arbetsgrupperna. I studiens resultat framgår det att den sociala interaktionen mellan personalen är av stor betydelse för gruppens sammanhållning och för kvaliteten på arbetet som utförs. Kommunikationen har visat sig vara en avgörande faktor för arbetets effektivitet och för samspelet personalen emellan. 

Denna studie undersöker unga vuxnas förändrade beteendemönster till följd av Covid-19 pandemin samt hur de anpassat sig till dessa förändringar. Studien bygger på en hermeneutisk metodansats som syftar till att medföra en ökad förståelse av unga vuxnas subjektiva upplevelser till följd av fenomenet samt hur den förändrade tillvaron påverkat dem i efterhand. Studien tar stöd i en teoretisk och begreppslig referensram som utgörs av grundläggande vardagssociologiska teorier såsom symbolisk interaktionism, Garfinkels tankar kring vardagssociologi, Fines tankar kring ideokulturer samt inslag av Goffmans dramaturgiska perspektiv. Empirin utgörs av semistrukturerade intervjuer med totalt 10 intervjupersoner i åldrarna 20–30 år med olika livsstilar och boendesituationer. Studiens resultat visar på hur unga vuxna är anpassningsbara utifrån flera aspekter där vi kunnat koppla anpassningen till förändrad social interaktion, psykiskt tillstånd och hemarbete. När samhället tvingades till en förändring i och med Covid-19 pandemin, då normer och förhållningssätt blev otydliga och stundtals även ifrågasattes, så presenterar studiens resultat att det var unga vuxna som intog rollen som anpassningsbara parter gentemot andra grupper i samhället för att på så vis säkerställa att den sociala interaktionen och den sociala ordningen inte skulle rubbas. 

Swedish school meals are provided free of charge as a welfare service. Lately, requests for religiously sanctioned school meals have increased, and this has led to debate in society. This chapter aims to illuminate what is expressed on social media about religiously sanctioned school meals. Twelve blogs and seven internet forums were analysed using thematic analysis. Two themes were found: traditional school meals, which entailed a collective, secular school meal where religiously sanctioned food is not provided for, and cultural relativist school meals, which acknowledged individual differences and favoured catering for religiously sanctioned food. The latter theme also comprised secular requests based on modern food ideologies, which in some cases could be characterised as quasi-religious. In both themes, equality, a traditional value of the welfare state, was prominent. From a traditional standpoint, equality was assured by serving the same meal to everyone, and from a cultural relativist point of view, equality was ensured when the food served was catered to everyone’s individual needs and wishes. How the welfare state manages to bring together the traditional and cultural relativist standpoints might lead to either integration or tension in society as a whole and in institutions such as schools.

While questions about adaptation and fidelity are of great concern in manyimplementation projects, less attention has been paid to reasons for adaptations thatremain when evidence-based interventions (EBIs) are used in clinical and communitysettings. This study aims to explore reasons for adaptations that can arise whenusing parenting programs in a community setting. Seventeen individual interviewswith providers were conducted and analyzed thematically, resulting in 11 reasonsfor adaptations organized into four separate areas: characteristics of group leaders(supplementary skills and knowledge, preferred ways of working), characteristics offamilies (problem complexity, diverse or limited educational experience, non-parentingneeds for support, colliding value systems), group incidents (criticism and challenges,excessive questions or discussions), and didactic challenges (lack of focus orengagement, limitations of the material, language differences). The study shows thatfactors triggering adaptation and fidelity decisions continuously reappear in the provisionof parenting programs in community settings. Knowledge about reasons for adaptationcan be used to inform decision-making during implementation planning, as well as thesustainment of implemented interventions.

This presentation is based on preliminary findings from an ethnographic study of adult pupils at riding schools. The study is part of the research project Intimate Sociality: Practice and Identity in Collective Housing, Human-Animal Relations and Couple Dancing, based at The Institute for Future Studies (project leader: Maria Törnqvist). The study explores the kind of intimacy that pupils strive for and often find at riding schools in relation to human and equine animals. Intimate sociality at riding schools is brief and momentary: during and in connection to riding classes the participants share experiences of a wide range of events and emotions, but the discussions and social relations at the schools are generally left behind when the pupils return home. Nevertheless, riding school interactions between humans and horses have a deeper resonance in the lives of the pupils. As part of their education, the pupils learn to control their bodies. This control means that the pupils start to pay attention to their own physical being, rather than their thoughts, in contrast to the usual emphasis on the cerebral in their everyday lives. In this way, the riders let their bodies take control of their minds, rather than the other way around. Further, to attune their bodies to the horses they ride, it becomes crucial to ascribe a mind and personhood to the horses. This turns the widespread idea of the horse and rider as a centaur with a horse’s body and a human mind literally upside down. In the empirical material—both during observations and in interviews—the rider is emphasized as body, while the horse is emphasized as a minded being. I discuss this peculiar creature—the topsy-turvy centaur—in relation to Michel Foucualt’s conceptualization of power and Charlotte Perkin Gilman’s use of the figure of the horse in her theorization of inequality, and suggest that this figure challenges not only ideals related to contemporary capitalist society, but also ideals associated with being human. However, while leisure riding opens up for certain subversive possibilities for the riding human, it is not necessarily the same for the horses involved. This is also recognized by the pupils in the study: they continuously orient to the inequality between humans and horses in the way they talk about themselves, other humans, and the horses they ride.

Under Nürnbergrättegångarna efter andra världskrigets slut ställdes nazistiska krigsförbrytare till svars. Bland dem fanns forskare som hade använt människor, främst judar och andra personer tillhörande minoriteter och utsatta grupper, i plågsamma och ofta dödliga experiment i vetenskapens namn. Här hade forskare, som ska arbeta i mänsklighetens tjänst, använt människor på ett hänsynslöst sätt för att generera forskningsresultat. Rättegångarna väckte frågan: Vilka åtgärder skulle kunna garantera att detta aldrig skulle ske igen?