Stockholm university
Department of Sociology

News

Porträttfoto av Lisa Harber-Aschan
Department of Sociology

New project to explore impact of poverty on children's mental health

Poverty has a clear impact on the mental health of children, but when and how it happens is still unknown. A new research project, led by Lisa Harber-Aschan, will fill in the knowledge gaps using unique data sources and innovative methods.

Department of Sociology

Gap between conscious and unconscious attitudes

Our conscious attitudes towards minorities differ from our automatic responses, according to a new doctoral dissertation in sociology. The unconscious prejudices can have far-reaching consequences for how minorities are treated in society, says Filip Olsson, who wrote the thesis.

Pappa med barn

Gender equality following parental union dissolution is increasing

A new study by demographers at Stockholm University shows that gender equality, measured in the share of days fathers take off work to care for a sick child, is higher after union dissolution than it was when the parents still lived together. This silent revolution in family behaviour is mainly explained by 50/50 living arrangements of the children.

Children and Young People - Theme page Gender and Equality - Theme page Economy and Society - Theme page Health and Living Conditions - Theme page Society, Democracy and Welfare - Theme page

Flexible parental leave among immigrant mothers can promote integration

Mothers who took parental leave part-time or for shorter periods were more likely to engage in income-generating activities or pursue education. A new study uncovers surprising patterns in parental leave usage among newly arrived migrant women in Sweden, specifically focusing on their integration into the labor market.

Economy and Society - Theme page Gender and Equality - Theme page Health and Living Conditions - Theme page
Elena Pupaza
Department of Sociology

Elena Pupaza receives start-up grant from Forte

Elena Pupaza, researcher in demography at SUDA and the Department of Sociology receives 3.74 MSEK as a startup grant from Forte for her project on diversity aspects of foreign-born people in Sweden.

Doctor and patient in a hospital room
Swedish Institute for Social Research

Countries with strong primary care show more equity in health

The health level among highly- and low-educated people is more equal in countries with a high-quality primary care. For people with low education, primary care can function as a gatekeeper, reducing the correlation between education level and health. This is shown in a new dissertation in sociology from the Swedish Institute for Social Research (SOFI) at Stockholm University.

Society, Democracy and Welfare - Theme page
Child with parents, holding hands
Swedish Institute for Social Research

How are children influenced by their parents’ separation?

What are the circumstances that make some children more resilient to a parental separation than others? A new dissertation in sociology from Stockholm University investigates the heterogeneity in children’s outcomes after a parental separation. Among other things, the studies show that children with separated parents, living in shared parental residence, are doing nearly as well as children whose parents stay together.

Society, Democracy and Welfare - Theme page Health and Living Conditions - Theme page Children and Young People - Theme page
Benson John
Department of Sociology

Benson John granted the Jan M. Hoem Paper Award

SUDA and the Department of Sociology congratulates Benson John who was Granted the Max Planch Institute for Demographic Research's Jan M. Hoem Paper Award.

Two siblings playing i the woods
Swedish Institute for Social Research

We follow our older siblings' choice of higher education

Older siblings’ choice of higher education has a big impact on what their younger siblings apply for, even when it leads them to worse* education. This is the result of a new study with data from four countries, including Sweden and USA. The study is published in the highly ranked scientific journal The Quarterly Journal of Economics.

Two parenst and a doughter walkning hand in hand in a summer park

Do biological factors explain the unequal division of parental leave?

Parents who have adopted a child share their parental leave in much the same way as families who have a biological child. A new study from the Swedish Institute for Social Research (SOFI) which has compared adoptive and biological parents’ leave use shows that biological factors may not explain the unequal division of parental leave.

Gender and Equality - Theme page Society, Democracy and Welfare - Theme page Children and Young People - Theme page
Grave with candles

Greater risk of dying for widowers with high income and education

Previous studies have shown that widows and widowers run a higher risk of dying themselves, compared to those of the same age whose partner is still alive. This is often referred to as the ‘widowhood effect’. A new thesis from Stockholm University shows that excess mortality is higher among widowers with a higher socio-economic status compared to other widowers. For widows, it is the other way around – the risk of dying is greater among those who are worse off.

Society, Democracy and Welfare - Theme page Health and Living Conditions - Theme page Gender and Equality - Theme page
Narmina in the Old Town in central Stockholm.

“I found my community”

Narmina is a second-year master's student from Georgia. She studies sociology and she is interested in inequalities in society. Watch the film and read the text below to get to know her story.

Michael Gähler, professor in Sociology and head of the Department of Sociology.
Department of Sociology

“It’s important not to fall in love with a given theory or result”

Michael Gähler is a professor of sociology and head of the Department of Sociology at Stockholm University. Among other things, he has focused his research on labour-market discrimination on the grounds of gender, ethnicity and parenthood, and the impact of divorce on children and adults. According to Michael Gähler, it is vital for researchers to remain humble in the face of reality and avoid falling in love with a given theory or result.

Society, Democracy and Welfare - Theme page
Girl using a smartphone

Why do privileged families not follow experts’ advice on screen time anymore?

In a new study from Stockholm University and several US universities, the researchers found that children in the US aged 9-13 from different social classes spent roughly the same number of hours in front of a screen, on average. However, there were class differences in how the children spent their screen time and in parenting rules related to digital technology use.

Children and Young People - Theme page Culture and Media - Theme page Society, Democracy and Welfare - Theme page School, Education and Learning - Theme page
Newborn baby put on a scale.

Swedes with non-western background falling behind in terms of birthweight

In a new study, the researchers found large birthweight inequalities among the descendants of non-western immigrants compared to the descendants of Swedes. The largest differences were found in the third generation. The researchers warn inequalities may continue to widen in subsequent generations.

International Relations and Migration - Theme page Health and Living Conditions - Theme page Society, Democracy and Welfare - Theme page
Eleonora Mussino, researcher in Demography.
Department of Sociology

Sweden – an ideal environment for immigrants to meet their childbearing ideals?

A recent study from Stockholm University investigates how immigrants’ childbearing – their age at first birth and number of children – are associated with norms and family support in their destination country. Is it easier for immigrants from countries with low fertility rates to achieve their childbearing ideals in Sweden, a country with strong support for childbearing and parenthood?

Gender and Equality - Theme page International Relations and Migration - Theme page Society, Democracy and Welfare - Theme page
Shadow of a child with parents
Department of Sociology

Only children have worse health outcomes in later life

In a recent study researchers examined the relationship between a series of later health outcomes and family size in the sibling group that you grew up in, with a particular focus on ‘only children’ – children without any siblings. The researchers found that only children on average seem to do a little bit worse even after adjustments for other factors.

Society, Democracy and Welfare - Theme page Health and Living Conditions - Theme page
Matthew Wallace
Department of Sociology

Matthew Wallace receives Demographer Award

The Department of Sociology and Stockholm University Demography Unit (SUDA) congratulate Matthew Wallace who receives this year’s Junior European Demographer Award.

Ann-Zofie Duvander
Department of Sociology

“The fundamental goal is to question what we believe to be truths”

Ann-Zofie Duvander is driven by the desire to contribute to the development of society. Trying to look behind what we see as “truths,” and find what needs to be questioned. At the same time, it is important to distinguish between research and political policy decisions, stresses Ann-Zofie Duvander, Professor of Demography.

Society, Democracy and Welfare - Theme page Gender and Equality - Theme page
Colombian soldiers.
Department of Sociology

Link between armed conflict and intimate partner violence

There is a connection between armed conflict and violence in intimate relationships, according to a PhD thesis in Sociological Demography from Stockholm University. The study is based on data from Colombia and shows that the risk for women of victimization to violence from their partners or ex-partners increases in areas with higher levels of conflict. The study also shows that women in these areas are more likely to stay in violent relationships.

Gender and Equality - Theme page Society, Democracy and Welfare - Theme page International Relations and Migration - Theme page Law, Crime and Justice - Theme page
Two female muslims walking down the street.
Department of Sociology

Immigrants who experience discrimination are less likely to vote

Immigrants who are active in religious organizations in Sweden are less likely to participate in politics compared to immigrants who are not active in such organizations, a new PhD study from Stockholm University shows. Those who have experienced societal discrimination based on religion are even less likely to participate in politics or to vote. The greatest impact is seen among Muslims in Sweden.

Society, Democracy and Welfare - Theme page Worldviews, Ethics and Philosophy - Theme page International Relations and Migration - Theme page
Eleonora Mussino and Jens Rydgren
Department of Sociology

New grants from the Swedish Research Council

We are proud to congratulate Jens Rydgren and his team and Eleonora Mussino and her team who received funds from the Swedish Research Council.

Jelena Jovičić
Department of Sociology

How is ”refugeeness” constructed in Swedish newspapers – and are counter-images possible?

In Swedish newspapers, people fleeing are often depicted as victims or as a security threat to the Swedish nation state, a new PhD thesis in sociology shows. As a reaction to this visual framing limited to stereotypes, the author Jelena Jovičić participated in a project where people with experiences of flight created their own counter-images. Here is what she found out.

Culture and Media - Theme page
Eleonora Mussino
Department of Sociology

How population development in Sweden would have been without the war in Syria

What would Sweden’s population development have been like if it wasn’t for the uprising against Assad and the following war in Syria? A new study in demography published in the academic journal PLOS ONE has the answer. In the study, the authors have created and calculated hypothetical scenarios to determine the demographic development in Sweden and Norway – without the immigration following the Syrian war.

International Relations and Migration - Theme page Society, Democracy and Welfare - Theme page
Ben Wilson. Photo: Leila Zoubir/Stockholm University
Department of Sociology

New ERC grant to study the lives of children and grandchildren of refugees

A lot is known about the inequalities experienced by refugees, but much less is known about their children’s lives. Ben Wilson, a post-doctoral researcher at the Stockholm University Demography Unit (SUDA), Department of Sociology, receives a new ERC Starting Grant to study the inequalities that are faced by the children and grandchildren of refugees living in Sweden.

Show more