In my research, I use an intersectional perspective and concern three main areas: 1) working conditions, work-life balance, time use and health; 2) women's access and possibilities in relation to the labour market; 3) contextual and policy aspects of division of work and gender equality. I have a background working with health economy and interest also in societal costs.

Current projects:

Inequalities in health – a longitudinal study of the impact of conflict between working and private life for sickness absence in the Swedish working population

The aim of the project Inequalities in health, is to study the impact of conflicting demands and enriching effects between working life and private life on inequalities in health in the Swedish working population. This will be done using using the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH) and Swedish population registers (LISA and MiDAS).

Healthy Physician - prevalence of common mental disorders (CMD) among Swedish physicians, its antecedents and consequences.

The overall purpose of the project is to 1) identify the prevalence and experience of CMD among Swedish physicians, 2) explore factors contributing to CMD and 3) study the societal consequences related to physicians’ CMD.

We are currently conducting a study about physicians experiences of working through the Covid-19 pandemic. Results are planned to be presented later in 2020.

A selection from Stockholm University publication database

• Gendered Associations of Flexible Work Arrangement and Perceived Flexibility with Work–Life Interference: A Cross-Sectional Mediation Analysis on Office Workers in Sweden

  2023. Emma Brulin (et al.). Social Indicators Research 167 (1-3), 571-588

  Article

  Flexible work arrangements (FWA) may be beneficial for increasing perceived flexibility (i.e. control over when, where and how to work) and reducing interference between work and private-life, but knowledge of gendered patterns of these relationships is sparse. Drawing on gender theory, the aim of this study was to conduct gender-differentiated analyses of the associations between FWA (non-regulated work or flex-time) and work–life interference using perceived flexibility as a mediator. Survey data were collected in 2016 from a sample of 2614 employees in the Swedish Transport Administration (response rate 67%). The sample included 39.6% women and 60.4% men, 71.7% had non-regulated work and 28.3% flex-time. Associations were determined using linear mixed models and mediation analysis. Results indicated a beneficial effect of non-regulated work (referencing flex-time) on work–life interference through an increase in perceived flexibility. The indirect effect of FWA was pronounced and statistically significant in the total sample, as well as in men and women. However, in men, non-regulated work was associated with a statistically significant increase in interference (competitive mediation). Gender did not interact significantly with work arrangement nor with perceived flexibility. In conclusion, the type of FWA can result in different perceptions of flexibility which in turn may affect experiences of work–life interference. Furthermore, it should be acknowledged that both FWAs and flexibility may be experienced differently for men and women regarding interference. Thus, employers seeking to reduce employee interference should consider gender norms and individual needs. 

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• Is work-life interference a risk factor for sickness absence? A longitudinal study of the Swedish working population

  2022. Emma Hagqvist, Ulrik Lidwall, Constanze Leineweber. European Journal of Public Health 32 (3), 398-401

  Article

  Background: While there is increasing literature on the health effects of work–life interference, few studies have investigated the relationship between a direct measure of work–life interference and objective sickness absence measures. The aim of this study is to investigate whether work–life interference is a risk factor for subsequent long-term sickness absence (LTSA). Methods: Data were derived from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016. Data were linked to register data on LTSA (having at least one continuous period of medically certified sick leave exceeding 14 days) the following 2 years after each data collection wave. We applied generalized estimating equations, odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The sample included 15 244 individuals (43.1% men and 56.9% women). Nearly a fifth of the sample (18.7%, n = 1110) started at least one period of LTSA at any point between 2010 and 2018. Results: Work–life interference was found to be a risk factor for subsequent LTSA (OR = 1.55; 95% CI = 1.44–1.67) even when adjusting for relevant factors including general health (OR = 1.39; 95% CI = 1.29–1.51). We found no significant moderating effect of gender. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that work–life interference is a risk factor for subsequent LTSA for working men and women in Sweden.

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• Work–Life Enrichment and Interference Among Swedish Workers: Trends From 2016 Until the COVID-19 Pandemic

  2022. Emma Brulin, Constanze Leineweber, Paraskevi Peristera. Frontiers in Psychology 13

  Article

  The COVID-19 pandemic has altered workers' possibilities to combine work and private life. Work and private life could either interfere with each other, that is, when conflicting demands arise, or enrich, that is, when the two roles are beneficial to one another. Analyzing data from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health through individual growth models, we investigated time trends of interference and enrichment between work and private life from 2016 through March to September 2020, which is during the first wave of the pandemic. The sample included workers who had remained in the same workplace throughout the study period and worked at least 30% of full time, reaching 5,465 individuals. In addition, we examined trends in level of interference and enrichment across gender and industries. Results showed that Life-to-work interference increased over time in the Swedish working population, but neither did work-to-life interference nor enrichment. We observed only marginal differences across gender. Also, in the industries of fine manufacturing and real-estate activities, a decrease in interference, work-to-life interference, and life-to-work interference, respectively, was observed. In the human health and social care industry, an increase in interference and life-to-work interference was seen. Our conclusion is that overall changes to the possibilities to balance work and private life have occurred for workers in Sweden during the first period of the pandemic. Further studies are needed to study development time trends throughout the pandemic and across different occupations.

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• Social Capital and Self-Perceived Health in Lone Mothers

  2022. Sara Trujillo-Alemán (et al.). Journal of Family Issues 43 (3), 612-640

  Article

  This study aimed to explore the distribution of social capital and its relation to self-perceived health in lone mothers across Europe. Data were drawn from the European Social Survey Round 5. The sample was restricted to women (15–64 years), not cohabiting with a partner, and with children (≤ 18 years) living in the household. Social capital was measured using variables, representing both structural (political engagement, social support, and social activity) and cognitive (generalized trust, institutionalized trust, reciprocity, and a feeling of safety) components. Individual-level measurements: age, educational attainment, employment status, income level, and household economy. Country-level measurements: family policy model and collective social capital. A multilevel analysis was conducted. The results revealed cross-country variance in the level of lone mothers’ social capital. After adjustment for individual-level and country-level measurements, only reciprocity and a feeling of safety were related to good self-perceived health among lone mothers in Europe.

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• A Theoretical Development of the Gender Embodiment of Enrichment

  2021. Emma Hagqvist, Anna Nyberg, Constanze Leineweber. Frontiers in Sociology 6

  Article

  Enrichment is a phenomenon described as the synergistic and beneficial effects of participating in both work and private life. Far too few studies have acknowledged the role of gender in enrichment. By applying a gender theoretical approach, this article has two aims; first, we aim to study the role of gender in enrichment by examining the factorial structure of enrichment in men and women; secondly, we aim to study the relationship between enrichment and work and private life factors in an approximately representative sample of the Swedish working population. A multigroup confirmatory factor analysis with measurement in variance was performed and this resulted in a two-factor solution for enrichment for both men and women, representing the two directions of enrichment: work-to-life enrichment (WLE) and life-to-work enrichment (LWE). Factor loadings differ across genders, indicating that men and women construct and value items of enrichment differently. Next, linear mixed models were used to answer the second aim. Results show that gendered cultural norms in work and private life manifest in the relationship between factors in the work and home sphere and enrichment. Factors in work and private life with more or less masculine or feminine epithets relate differently to WLE and LWE for men and women. The main conclusion is that masculine and feminine norms are embodied in the values and experiences of enrichment and factors related to enrichment.

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• A balancing act

  2021. Emma Hagqvist (et al.). Small Business Economics 57, 821-834

  Article

  The safety and health of many workers employed in micro-enterprises (with less than 10 employees) is poor, and legal arrangements related to working environments remain a considerable challenge in these enterprises. The aim of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of how Swedish occupational safety and health (OSH) inspectors perceive themselves as inspectors and their role as bureaucratic regulators when meeting micro-enterprises. In the study, 11 Swedish inspectors were interviewed and asked to reflect on their role as inspectors, how they perceive themselves as inspectors and what their role is as bureaucratic regulators when inspecting micro-enterprises. The qualitative content analysis revealed one theme-a balancing act-and three categories: one inspector, many roles; interactions with micro-entrepreneurs; and exercise the profession as an inspector. The results showed that OSH inspectors experience challenges in meeting the requirements of street-level bureaucracy while addressing the needs of micro-enterprises. In conclusion, OSH inspectors need organisational support to develop inspection models and enforcement styles tailored to micro-enterprises, as this could ease their work and contribute to better inspection outcomes. The implications of this study include a need for increased competence about working environment issues in micro-enterprises, development of enforcement styles among the inspectors, emphasis of the importance of specific governmental projects for OSH and development of models in this enterprise group. Additionally, development of micro-enterprise managers' competence and ability to handle issues related to the working environment and health were also important.

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• Dual-Earner/Career/Dual-Carer Couples

  2021. Katarina Boye, Emma Hagqvist. Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research

  Chapter

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• Falling outside the system

  2020. Emma Hagqvist (et al.). Safety Science 125

  Article

  In this study, 11 Swedish occupational safety and health (OSH) inspectors were interviewed about their views of and experiences interacting with micro-enterprises (1-9 employees). The qualitative content analysis found one theme, “Falling outside the system”, and three subthemes, “The inspector—shaped by specific standards”, “The bureaucrat and the micro-entrepreneur—two separate worlds”, and “System faults and system changes”. According to the inspectors, the Swedish OSH regulatory system, with inspectors on the front line, neglects the specific needs, circumstances and characteristics of micro-enterprises. Therefore, we suggest revising the OSH regulatory system and following inspection methods and enforcement styles to better address the needs of micro-enterprises.

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• The Same, Only Different

  2019. Emma Hagqvist (et al.). Work, Employment and Society

  Article

  The aim of this article is to elucidate how male and female managers of small-scale enterprises in Norway and Sweden relate to and experience the intersection between work and private life. A qualitative content analysis was adopted to explore interviews with 18 managers. The analysis resulted in three primary categories: conflict as a part of the deal, using management to construct balance, and management identity contributing to enrichment. A key theme that emerged was doing management. Both men and women reproduced masculine values in describing their management identities and in explaining how they enacted management. This clear identification was used to legitimate conflict, construct balance and explain the interaction between work and private life as enriching. How the managers enacted gender emerged primarily in how they related to family responsibilities and their feelings of guilt in relation to home and children.

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Show all publications by Emma Hagqvist at Stockholm University