NOVA and Reassess announces a three-day PhD course 7-9 November in Oslo: Social Policy, Gender, and the Life Course. The aim of the course is to explore the interplay of social policy and the lives of men and women, with focus on aldulthood.
The course is given by Professor Gunhild O. Hagestad at Agder University College & Norwegian Social Research (NOVA).
Equality and equity between men and women
The Nordic countries have typically been seen as vanguards in spearheading policies to ensure equality and equity between men and women, especially with regard to supports for working parents. Our part of Europe has also been presented as examples of "defamilisation", in that care for the young and the old to quite an extent is defined as a public responsibility.
How does age play a part?
However, age has received limited attention in these discussions. Beyond childhood, do the Nordic countries structure lives of men and women the same? Can we find instances of different age and duration rules for men and women? Are there examples of policies which assume that men and women are similar when, indeed, they may not be?
How homogenous are the Nordic countries with regard to age/sex structures in the population and in their life course structuring? Can we point to instances of clear differences in the legal contexts of lives? For example, do the countries create different interdependencies between lives of partners, parents and children, which in turn may affect men and women differently? Do they have varying degrees of flexibility, for instance in age and duration requirements connected to pensions? Do we still find "breadwinner assumptions"?
Age, time and gender
Using a comparative approach, we ask: What kinds of assumptions, explicit or implicit, about age, time and gender are at the foundation of social policies? What consequences, intended or unintended, do policies have in shaping the lives of men and women? What are theoretical and methodological approaches to studying the interface of lives and policy?
ABOUT THE COURSE
The course is organized by NOVA´s Nordic Centre of Excellence in Welfare Research, REASSESS, in collaboration with Department of Sociology and Human Geography, Oslo University and Agder University College, Norway.
Venue: Voksenåsen kultur- og konferansehotell, Oslo
Date: 7-9 November
The course gives 6 credit points
The deadline for applications to participate in the PhD course is October 1, 2007. Applications should include a short CV and a proposal for a paper (title and 500 words abstract). The selection of participants will be completed by October 10, 2007. Send applications to gunhild.hagestad(a)hia.no, with copy to reassess(a)reassess.no.
There is no course fee and the Centre will cover accommodation and meals at Voksenaasen. The Centre may also contribute to the travel expenses of participants.
The course is primarily directed to doctoral researchers / PhD students in the Nordic countries. However, depending on the number of applications, the course may also include participants from outside the Nordic countries.
Download the the full course information under:
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