Delegation from China's National Population and Family Planning Commission in Stockholm

On November 24-26, 2010, SUDA and SPaDE offered a workshop on "Population Issues and Population-related Policies of Sweden" to an 18-person delegation of Chinese population-policy makers. The event took place in Aula Magna at Stockholm University and offered presentations by five SUDA/SPaDE members as well as colleagues from Statistics Sweden and the Aging Research Center. For full program see here.

Grant to fund the Swedish Generations and Gender Survey

Riksbankens Jubileumsfond and the Swedish Research Council have awarded a total of 12.5 million Swedish kronor to support the first wave of the Swedish Generations and Gender Survey. The survey is expected to be in the field by August 2011. The Swedish GGS is part of the International Generations and Gender Programme and will provide comparative data with a large number of countries about recent changes in family life courses and relationships (www.ggp-i.org).

Five new research grants from Fas and RJ to SPaDE members and affiliates

SPaDE congratulates Juho Härkönen for being awarded 3.37 M SEK to his project "Socio-economic differences in family demographic behavior: Trends and intergenerational implications"; Livia Sz. Oláh for 3.87 M SEK to fund the Swedish branch of her ESF project on "The new role of men and family dynamics in Europe"; Tommy Ferrarini for 3.9 M SEK to his project on Changing generational welfare contracts: Fair institutions and outcomes in Sweden and Europe"; and Katharina Boye for 2.0 M SEK to her project "Home work and salary in Sweden and Europe: Studies on how women and men's salaries relate to household work and care of children". All four grants come from Fas. In an additional grant, Tommy Ferrarini received 5.0 M SEK from Riksbankens Jubileumsfond to support his "Social Policy Indicator Database".

In memoriam: Per Gunnar Cassel

SPaDE student affiliate Per Gunnar Cassel passed away on Tuesday October 7, 2010, aged 82.

Per Gunnar had been ill for a period of time, but continued to be devoted to his PhD research until the very end. He completed one published article on seasonality in childbearing in Sweden and a SPaDE Working Paper on abortion trends but was unable to complete his last study.

SPaDE researchers and students remember Per Gunnar for his strong positive spirit and generosity in his work.

We regret the loss of a valued colleague.

SPaDE represented at Framtidsfokus on Marriage

SPaDE researchers Sofi Ohlsson and Gunnar Andersson presented some of their research on marriage in Sweden at a Framtidsfokus organized by the Institute for Futures Studies. The event took place in Stockholm on September 15 and was also aired as a TV program in the Kunskapskanalen of the Swedish national television. The Framtidsfokus was devoted to discussions of the changing role of marriage as a social institution in contemporary Sweden. Link to program here.

SPaDE represented at the European Population Conference 2010

Ten SPaDE researchers participated in the 2010 European Population Conference held in Vienna, September 1-4. Papers were presented by Gunnar Andersson (with Kirk A. Scott, Lund University) on “Divorce risks of immigrants in Sweden” ; Maria Brandén on “Occupation, educational level and gender differences in regional mobility - Sweden 1998-2003”; Sven Drefahl on “How parental mortality changes with the age of the child” ; Juho Härkönen (with Jaap Dronkers, Universiteit Maastricht) on ”Parental divorce and union formation: a comparison of 18 Countries” ; Livia Olah and Eva Bernhardt (with Michael Gähler, Stockholm University, and Frances Goldscheider, University of Maryland) on “Parental divorce and gender equality in Sweden”; Eva Bernhardt (with Turid Noack and Kenneth Aarskaug Wiik, Statistics Norway, and Torkild Hovde Lyngstad, University of Oslo) on “The association between cohabiters' marriage intentions and marital behavior in Norway and Sweden” ; Ann-Zofie Duvander (with Mats Johansson, Swedish Social Insurance Inspectorate) on “How effective are reforms promoting fathers' parental leave use?”; and Sofi Ohlsson on “Type of occupation and the transition to parenthood in Sweden”. Li Ma presented a poster on “Social policy and childbearing behavior in Japan since the 1960s:an individual level perspective” and Eva Bernhardt (with Disa Bergnehr, Linköping University presented a poster on “Costs and benefits of parenthood in Sweden: quantitative and qualitative evidence”. Gunnar Andersson, Elizabeth Thomson and Ann-Zofie Duvander each chaired a session. Livia Olah was Chair of the Poster Award Committee

SPaDe congratulates Sunnee Billingsley!

SPaDe congratulates Sunnee Billingsley for being selected as one of the three winners of the International Sociological Association Worldwide Competition for Junior Sociologists. Sunnee won her award with her paper "Exploring the conditions for a mortality crisis: Bringing context back into the debate". She receives her award at the ISA Conference held in Göteborg during July 2010.

Livia Sz. Oláh as academic observer for Sweden in the European Alliance for Families

The Swedish Department of Social Affairs has appointed Dr. Livia Sz. Oláh as academic observer for Sweden in the European Alliance for Families – Network on family policies, organized by the European Commission. The network aims to facilitate the exchange of information, good practice and research on family policies between the Member States.

SPaDE represented at the 2010 annual meeting of the Population Association of America (PAA)

This year, SPaDE was represented at no less than seven sessions at the annual meeting of the Population Association of America (PAA), in Dallas April 15 - 17. Gunnar Andersson presented the paper "Welfare State Context, Female Earnings and Childbearing", co-authored with Michaela Kreyenfeld (Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research). Gerda Neyer presented her paper "Gender Equality and Fertility: Which Equality Matters?", which she co-authors with Trude Lappegård (Statistics Norway) and Daniele Vignoli (University of Florence). Helen Eriksson presented her paper “Are There Gendering Effects of a Gender Neutral Parental Leave Policy?”. Sunnee Billingsley presented her paper ””Downward Mobility, Unemployment and Mortality”. She was also a co-author of the paper “After the First Child: Job Stability and Having Another Child”, with Oxana Sinyavskaya (Russia and Maastricht Graduate School of Governance). Sofi Ohlsson presented her poster “Type of Occupation and the Transition to Parenthood in Sweden”. Maria Brandén and Sara Ström presented their poster “Occupation, Gender and Internal Migration -Sweden 1998-2008”.