Girls' and women's lives and living conditions
Growing up as a girl in particularly vulnerable areas – lived experiences, key societal actors, and social work.
The overarching aim of the study is to contribute knowledge about the lives of girls in what the Police Authority defines as particularly vulnerable areas. This is achieved through two sub-studies: firstly, examining how girls (aged 13–19) growing up in such areas navigate life in a place marked by poverty, social exclusion, and crime.
In the second phase, considering the findings from the first sub-study, the research investigates how various key societal actors reason about the life situations of girls in particularly vulnerable areas. The ambition is that the knowledge generated by both sub-studies can be used to develop critical and democratizing social work in what is termed as vulnerable or particularly vulnerable areas.
The project is a collaboration between Stockholm University, Umeå University, and Karlstad University. Participating researcher: Maria Moberg Stephenson
Girls in Criminal Gangs
The purpose of this project is to contribute in-depth knowledge about the lives and participation of girls in criminal gangs. The primary interest lies in how the girls' entry into the gang, involvement in the gang, and, if they have left, the exit from the gang are described. The research also explores the experiences of victimization, participation, and the use of violence by the girls, considering factors such as gender, class, ethnicity, and age. The generated knowledge aims to improve support for these girls and address the challenges of the welfare system.
Research project funded by Forte. Initiated in January 2023. Participating researcher: Maria Moberg Stephenson
Breakup Stairs
Breakup Stairs involves intersectional social work with women who have experienced/are experiencing intimate partner violence. In line with Critical Welfare Studies, Dr. Goldina Smirthwaite is affiliated as a researcher, having introduced and developed the breakup stairs model. Her recent work focuses on factors that characterize and complicate the situation for older individuals experiencing intimate partner violence (2022).
Shelter for Women Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence
Ongoing doctoral thesis
The dissertation examines the social organization of the Swedish domestic violence shelter system from the standpoint of abused women. It is an institutional ethnography based on interviews with women who have stayed in domestic violence shelters, social workers from social services, and staff from non-profit, municipal and private shelters.
Ph.D. candidate: Sandra Andersson
Publications: Andersson, S. (2024). Caught in the crossfire: Abused mothers' struggles to navigate the Swedish domestic violence shelter system. Nordic Social Work Research. https://doi.org/10.1080/2156857X.2024.2312399