| 1. |
- Ahlberg [Alsarve], Jenny, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
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Actualizing the 'democratic family'? : Swedish policy rhetoric versus family practices
- 2008
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Ingår i: Social Politics. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1072-4745 .- 1468-2893. ; 15:1, s. 79-100
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this article, we examine empirically a key element of individualization theory—the democratic family. We do so using the “acid test” of family policy, and family practice, in Sweden. First, we review the progress of family policy in Sweden since the 1960s, which has expressly promoted an agenda of gender equality and democracy in families, with individual autonomy for both adults and children as one key element. We then turn to family practice, looking particularly at negotiation and adult equality, lifelong parenting after separation, and children's autonomy. While Swedish policy makers and shapers seem to have developed the idea of the democratic family long before the sociologist Anthony Giddens, the results in practice have been more ambivalent. While there has been change, there is more adaptation to pre-existing gender and generational norms.
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| 2. |
- Ahlberg [Alsarve], Jenny, 1980-
(författare)
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Efter kärnfamiljen : familjepraktiker efter skilsmässa
- 2008
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This dissertation is about post-divorce families. The central question is how family is constructed after divorce. The aim is to study how family relationships are negotiated, transformed and reproduced after the separation. The research is based on 24 in-depth interviews with twelve young adults, between the ages of 21 and 29, with divorced parents. Their narratives about their families are analysed using a theoretical framework inspired by the individualization theories (Beck & Beck-Gernsheim 2001; Giddens 1997, 1995) and the doing family perspective (Morgan 1996; Silva & Smart 1999a), especially focusing on the concepts of negotiation and family practices. More specific questions raised in the dissertation are how are family boundaries drawn by the young adults? How do the interviewees understand the new organization of their families, which has been renegotiated after the separation? What perception of motherhood and fatherhood can be found in the narratives? And, finally, to what extent are family relationships after divorce negotiated in the way that the individualization theories claim?The results show a quite complex picture of family life after divorce. While both parents are often described as participating parents, the family practices after divorce appear clearly gendered. The mother’s involvement in taking care of the child seems not to be negotiable in the same way as the father’s. Hence, motherhood appears natural and taken for granted to a much greater extent than fatherhood. The negotiations between the parents after divorce can be of both an explicit and implicit character according to the narratives, but yet another kind of negotiation are the indirect negotiations. In these negotiations, the child is used as a go-between or carrier, a position that seems to limit their own possibility to participate in the decision making. Another aspect that seems to diminish children’s participation is the principle of loyalty to both their biological parents. The results also show that the children’s living arrangements after divorce are characterized by changes and renegotiations rather than being permanent. The parents’ new partners are described in different ways in the narratives, however, they are often seen as turning points that have a major influence on the family relationships. The nuclear family as a normative ideal is present in all the interviews but in different ways. While some express an explicit critique of it, others regard it as something that they want for themselves in the future. What constitutes a family according to the narratives? Firstly, blood ties and formal relationships are pointed out. Secondly, the feeling of solidarity and closeness is viewed perhaps as the most evident element of family life. This feeling can be created by open communication as well as by spending time together on a regular basis. Thirdly, growing up together and/or sharing everyday life practices are also considered as vital to develop and maintain close family ties. This means that the family boundaries after divorce are renegotiated over time rather than permanent. These negotiations take place in a certain context, where gender norms, earlier experiences and other social relationships play an important role.
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| 3. |
- Ahlberg [Alsarve], Jenny, 1980-
(författare)
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Familjekonstruktioner efter skilsmässa
- 2010
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Ingår i: Locus. - Stockholm : Stockholms universitet. - 1100-3197. ; :4, s. 17-29
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Utifrån intervjuer med vuxna skilsmässobarn diskuterar Jenny Ahlberg familjekonstruktioner och hur skilsmässobarn resonerar om sin egen framtid och familjebildande. Vem som definieras som familj och inte varierar över tid och är beroende på situation. Olika grader av "familjeinklusion" kan också skönjas.
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| 4. |
- Alsarve [Ahlberg], Jenny, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
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Inte bara jämställdhet : Beslutet om föräldraledighet, moderskaps- och faderskapsidealoch idéer om barns bästa
- 2012
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Ingår i: Sociologisk forskning. - : Sveriges sociologförbund. - 0038-0342 .- 2002-066X. ; 49:2, s. 103-128
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- More than gender equality. Decisions on parental leave and ideals around motherhood, fatherhood and the best interest of the child On the basis of 40 semi-structured interviews, this study discusses decision making processes regarding parental leave among nascent first-time middle-class parents in Sweden. We analyze motives and ideas behind the couples’ plans and decisions and how decisions on parental leave were made. We furthermore show how the decision making processes can be discussed in relation to the institutional context. The results show that ideals and norms of gender equality are accompanied by gendered divisions of work and care and a partially traditional view on motherhood and fatherhood. Contrary to previous studies, we do not find a clear link between gender equal ideals and explicit negotiations. An equal division of parental leave is, in some couples, taken for granted to such an extent that the decision on how to divide the leave is taken implicitly rather than explicitly. Decisions on division of parental leave are not isolated processes. Rather, ideals and norms around motherhood, fatherhood, gender equality and not least what is ‘in the best interest of the child’ constitute part of the context in which these decision making processes take place.
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| 5. |
- Alsarve [Ahlberg], Jenny, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
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Man vill ha det lite jämställt sådär : planer för föräldraledighet och arbetsdelning bland blivande föräldrar
- 2011
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Analysen tecknar sammanfattningsvis en bild av pars vardagsliv där jämställda ideal och tankar om rättvisa ackompanjeras av rädslor för att hamna i en könstraditionell arbetsdelning och ibland också av inslag av traditionella föreställningar om bland annat moderskap. Vi har också kunnat konstatera genusaspekter kopplade till yrkesarbetet och arbetssituationens betydelse för föräldraledigheten där mäns yrkesarbete ibland tycks prioriteras. Att ansvaret för jämställdheten i hushållet läggs i första hand på kvinnan är en annan viktig slutsats. Det är kvinnan som beskrivs som den som måste kliva åt sidan för att ”släppa in” mannen i föräldraskapet samt den som främst initierar diskussioner om arbetsfördelning. Hos paren framträdde höga ambitioner om att skapa en jämställd arbetsfördelning, med avseende på både yrkesarbete och hemarbete, också efter barnets ankomst.
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| 6. |
- Alsarve [Ahlberg], Jenny, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
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Working it out : strategies to reconcile paid work and family among Swedish lone mothers
- 2013
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The gendered nature of the struggle to integrate caring, family and paid work has been repeatedly demonstrated. Most research, however, has focused on dual parent families. This paper discusses work-family conflict in the everyday lives of lone mothers in Sweden. We use an agency-centered framework inspired by the capabilities approach, which emphasizes that the options of an individual depend greatly on institutions and relations with others. Drawing on 38 in-depth interviews with lone mothers from different social backgrounds we explore i) how the proper relationship between motherhood and paid work is conceived of, ii) the institutional and relational factors that influence lone mothers’ opportunities to attain work-life balance, and iii) the strategies employed in negotiating paid work and family. Our results show that paid work is integral to good motherhood to all lone mothers regardless of social class. They also show that lone mothers typically experience high levels of work-family conflict. Opportunities to reconcile paid work and family depend on employment conditions, accessibility to social support networks, the role of the absent father, household composition, and access to public childcare on unregularly hours. In the case of middle class mothers, blurred boundaries between work and family life, late meetings and work related traveling restrict opportunities to attain work-family balance. For low income and/or working class mothers temporal employment, unregular working hours and low earnings are significant constraining factors. Reducing working hours, negotiating working schedules with employers and colleagues, and asking relatives and friends for help are examples of strategies used to reduce work-life conflicts. Reducing travelling time between the job and the home by moving from one place to another, and moving closer to relatives to increase the chances to get practical support are other examples. While middle-class women typically used flexi-time at work to alleviate conflicts between different responsibilities, several low-income mothers changed jobs or invested in education in order to improve their situation
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| 7. |
- Roman, Christine, 1954-, et al.
(författare)
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Lone mothers and long hours : work-family conflict in the everyday lives of lone mothers in Sweden
- 2014
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The gendered nature of the struggle to integrate caring, family and paid work has been repeatedly demonstrated. Most research, however, has focused on dual parent families. This paper discusses work-family conflict in the everyday lives of lone mothers in Sweden. We use an agency-centered framework inspired by the capabilities approach, which emphasizes that the options of an individual depend greatly on institutions and relations with others. Drawing on 38 in-depth interviews with lone mothers from different social backgrounds we explore i) how the proper relationship between motherhood and paid work is conceived of, ii) the institutional and relational factors that influence lone mothers’ opportunities to attain work-life balance, and iii) the strategies employed in negotiating paid work and family. Results show that paid work is integral to good motherhood to all mothers regardless of social class. They also show that lone mothers typically experience high levels of work-family conflict. Opportunities to reconcile paid work and family depend on employment conditions, accessibility to social support networks, the role of the absent father, household composition, and access to public childcare on unregularly hours. In the case of middle class mothers, blurred boundaries between work and family life and late meetings restrict opportunities to attain work-family balance. For working class mothers temporal employment, unregular working hours and low earnings are significant constraining factors. Reducing working hours, negotiating working schedules, and asking relatives and friends for help are examples of strategies used to reduce work-life conflicts. Reducing travelling time between the job and the home by moving from one place to another, and moving closer to relatives to increase the chances to get practical support are other examples. While middle-class women typically used flexi-time at work to alleviate conflicts between different responsibilities, several low-income mothers changed jobs in order to improve their situation.
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