PhD student in Sociology (B)

The Department of Sociology is one of Stockholm University’s biggest social science departments and is continuously ranked among the top 50 sociology departments in the world.

The PhD position is located at the Social Policy unit of the Swedish Institute for Social Research (SOFI). SOFI is an internationally leading, multi-disciplinary research institute with about 100 employees. Its main research areas are social policy, welfare, inequality and the labour market. 

More information about us, please visit: The Department of Sociology and Swedish Institute for Social Research.

Project description

The PhD position is part of the comparative social policy research conducted at SOFI and the project, “Making Time: Organized Labour and the Politics of Care Leave.” Dr. Cassandra Engeman (at SOFI) leads the project, which is funded by a European Research Council 2024 Starting Grant. The project uses mixed methods to examine the role of trade unions, their works councils and federations, in advocating and shaping care leave policies. These policies, which vary considerably across countries and over time, grant job-protected time-off from work to address self-care or family care needs for a child, spouse or other relative. 

The PhD candidate’s research will span the project’s work packages that include cross-national comparative research across several countries (quantitative) and case study research (qualitative) focusing on France, Ireland, and the Netherlands. A main task for the PhD candidate will be to build the Care Leave Policy Data Set, which will provide longitudinal and comparative measures of several distinct types of care leave provisions. The work will involve researching and coding country-level social policies and reforms. The PhD candidate will be welcome to use these indicators for their dissertation research. Prior training in quantitative methods is required as is an appreciation for and interest in using qualitative methods. Language proficiency in French or Dutch is not required but an additional asset.

Qualification requirements

In order to be admitted to postgraduate education, the applicant must have the general and specific entry requirements. The qualification requirements must be met by the deadline for applications.

You meet general entry requirements if you have completed a second-cycle degree, or completed courses equivalent to at least 240 higher education credits, of which 60 credits must be in the second cycle, or have otherwise acquired equivalent knowledge in Sweden or elsewhere.

Selection

The selection among the eligible candidates will be based on their capacity to benefit from the training. The following criteria will be used to assess this capacity:

• documented knowledge in a relevant field of research
• written and oral proficiency in English
• prior quantitative methods training
• fit between the research plan and the MakingTime project, and
• other professional qualities, including the capacity for analytical thinking, the ability to collaborate and take initiative as well as creativity and independence.

Language proficiency will also be considered. The assessment will be based on previous courses and grades, references, relevant experience, interviews, the candidate’s written motivation for seeking the position, and the quality (i.e., originality and feasibility) of the research plan for the PhD thesis. This research plan is a draft rather than definitive plan for dissertation work and shall not exceed 2000 words (excluding references). The plan should focus on care leave policies, trade unions, and/or the politics of family policies and address: (1) why you are interested in the research described above, (2) how you wish to complete the research, and (3) if applicable, a brief description of your earlier research.

Admission Regulations for Doctoral Studies at Stockholm University.

About the employment

We offer a fixed-term employment as a doctoral student according to Chapter 5 of the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100). The period of employment may not be longer than what corresponds to full-time doctoral education for four years. As a doctoral student, you should primarily devote yourself to your own doctoral education, but the employment may include work with education, research and administration to a limited extent (maximum 20 %).

A new employment as a doctoral student is for a maximum of one year, the employment is then renewed for a maximum of two years at a time.

Stockholm University strives to be a workplace free from discrimination and with equal opportunities for all.

Contact

For more information, please contact Dr. Cassandra Engeman, cassandra.engeman@sofi.su.se].

Application

Apply for the PhD student position at Stockholm University's recruitment system. Attach a personal letter and CV as well as the attachments requested in the application form. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the job advertisement, and that it is submitted before the deadline.

The instructions for applicants are available at: How to apply for a position.