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(In)equalities in combining academic knowledge work and care responsibilities

The project aimed to build an understanding of how pressures to perform affect the careers of academic knowledge workers with different family situations, especially those who wish to have children and those who cannot (or choose not to) have children.

The purpose of this joint research project was to produce knowledge about the complexity of combining academic career and different family situations in a context characterized by high levels of performance pressures.

The project sought to answer two main questions:

  1. How does performance pressure define and affect the academic careers and career choices of knowledge workers with different genders and different family situations?
  2. What kind of career inequalities do academic knowledge workers with families face and experience?

The project aimed to answer these questions by conducting surveys in Finland, Sweden, and Norway. The aim of the survey was to gather information on the experiences and opinions of university faculty related both to performance pressure, perceived (in)equality of the academic career, and to how the idea of (not) having a family while working in Nordic academia is constructed in their respective institutions.

The findings will contribute to understanding the challenges and opportunities of combining parenting with knowledge work and will help to create fair policies and practices at both the organizational and societal levels.

Share the Care – Attracting men to nursing education to counteract a gender-segregated labour market

The project, Share the Care, will provide new knowledge towards a less gender-segregated health care sector, a heavily female-dominated sector. The actions implemented are largely based on recommendation from previous research “Men in Nursing Education: Mapping Educational Practices, and Student Experiences in Iceland, Denmark, and Norway”.

This will be done by implementing a system to follow cohorts in nursing education and document reasons behind drop-outs and delays during study which will produce important knowledge to counteract the problem. Actions are planned to address educational material and communication, as well as creation of special platforms for male student to minimize the risk of exclusion and alienation. Groups of study and career counsellors will be formed to create knowledge and stimulate more men to engage in care work. These actions will be an important input for educational institutions and authorities on how to recruit and retain men in nursing education.

New Nordic Model for improved equality in the Nordic Media Industry

The aim of the project was – across the Nordic region – to gather knowledge and shed light on what inhibits and promotes gender balance in the media industry. The aim was to develop solutions that can lead to greater gender equality and equity in the industry.

A widespread sexual harassment culture has been uncovered in the Danish media world – a culture that can be interpreted as a symptom of a lack of gender balance and equality. The industry is struggling with informal power structures and a continued hierarchical gender gap. In Norway, Sweden and Iceland, gender equality has been on the agenda for a long time – especially after the MeToo wave. The Danish debate also gave Danish media companies the opportunity and motivation to work with the culture and push further for the necessary changes. 

The three-year project has ensured that knowledge about formal and informal gender equality in the Nordic media industry, as well as the best experiences and solutions, are shared so that they can be put into practice in the individual Nordic media companies. The goal was a real norm change.

The project was led by the Danish School of Media and Journalism in close co-operation with experienced media leaders, the Nordic journalist unions and other relevant partners.

Updated 29 May 2024