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Johanna FinnströmPhd student

About me

I am a doctoral student at the Department of Sociology, Stockholm University. I hold a master’s degree in Sociology from Stockholm University.

My PhD project is within Sociology of Law, with a focus on family law issues and mediation related to access to justice. My research interests are further connected to family sociology, family policy, gender equality and intersectionality. Methodologically, I am into mixed methods, linking quantitative and qualitative approaches.

I am currently part of two interdisciplinary research projects between sociology and law: “Fragmented child law – consequences of conflicting rules on child maintenance”.” and “Who Decides on a Child's Health Care? An Interdisciplinary Study on the Child's Right to Participation in Decisions Concerning Care and Treatment.”

I have previously worked as a research assistant on a range of research projects connected to the Swedish Institute for Social Research (SOFI).

Teaching

Lecturer

Child maintenance across borders, Family Law Across Borders, Department of Law, Stockholm University

Barns underhåll och försörjning, Separationsjuridik, Department of Law, Stockholm University

Barns underhåll och försörjning, Barnrätt, Department of Law, Stockholm University

 

Seminar leader

Makrosociologi, Department of Sociology, Stockholm University

 

Bachelor thesis supervision

HT23, VT24, Department of Sociology, Stockholm University

Research projects

Publications

A selection from Stockholm University publication database

  • Individual realities and legal responsibilities: a study of non-resident parents who dispute child maintenance obligations in Swedish administrative courts, 2014-2019

    2023. Johanna Finnström. International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family 37 (1)

    Article

    This study is the first large-scale empirical account of child maintenance non-compliance in Sweden. The scheme explored is the guaranteed support system, i.e. when liable parents do not comply with their formal maintenance obligations as determined by the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (SSIA). The objective is to map out and describe the overall reasons why parents do not pay, as well as to explain why parents’ perceptions of their maintenance obligations diverge from those of the SSIA officials. To this end, the study utilises both quantitative descriptive analysis and qualitative thematic text analysis. The data were built on a unique body of material comprising over 700 court cases where liable parents disputed their maintenance obligations in Sweden’s 12 administrative courts, during 2014–2019. The quantitative results show that claiming economic inability and regular involvement in the care of children are the two most common arguments for non-payment. The qualitative analysis further suggests that the administrative tools and legal assessments designed to calculate payments to aid parents are in reality creating barriers, uncertainty, and distrust in the process. Consequently, the rules designed to protect children in lone-parent households are a factor contributing to non-payment by the other parent. The article concludes with reflections and public policy implications.

    Read more about Individual realities and legal responsibilities

Show all publications by Johanna Finnström at Stockholm University

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