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Helen Peterson

Position: Professor School/office: School of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences

Email: aGVsZW4ucGV0ZXJzb247b3J1LnNl

Phone: +46 19 303696

Room: F3252

Research subject

Sociology

Research environments

Centre for Feminist Social Studies (CFS)

About Helen Peterson

Helen Peterson has a doctorate in sociology from Uppsala University, Sweden, where she graduated in 2005 on a dissertation on gender relations in the IT consultant business. Since then she has worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow in technology and social change (at Linköping University, Sweden) and as a Senior Lecturer in Work Science (at Gothenburg University, Sweden). Since 2020 she is a Professor in Sociology at Örebro University.

In her research, Helen, focuses on sociology of gendered organizations, and adopts a gender perspective on organizational change, institutional resistance to change, career paths, leadership and management issues, policy implementation, and micro-politics, primarily in Higher Education Institutions. She has been involved in several both national and international projects investigating career paths of women managers in higher education, particularly in the position of Vice-Chancellor/President; recruitment of academic leaders; gender mainstreaming and organizational change in higher education; women-exclusive leadership programs in academia; and gender in the research funding process. She has acted in various expert roles in Sweden and in international projects and initiatives on gender equality in higher education and on higher education policy. Since 2010, she is a member of the international network WHEM - Women in Higher Education Management.

Helen has also investigated the intersection of work and family/private life and studied the impact of increased flexibility at work on negotiations in the family regarding division of labour and care responsibilities.

In her research on voluntary childlessness she has explored motherhood norms and heteronormativity in society; pronatalism and stigmatization; the paths to childlessness; and the impact of the social, economic, and cultural context on experiences of childlessness.

At Örebro University she is the co-ordinator of the research theme Work, Family, and Intimate Relations.

Since 2024 she works in the FORMAS-funded research project Sustainable practices in the minimalist family, with project leader Jenny Alsarve. Between 2025-2027 she is the coordinator of the network REACHING. Reframing Educational and Academic Leadership to Respond to Challenges in neoliberal Higher Education - Intersectional and Gender perspectives, funded by the Swedish Research Council.

Active projects

Sustainable practices in the minimalist family

Research groups

Work, Family and Intimate Relations

Publications

Articles in journals

Tunçer, M. , Alsarve, J. & Peterson, H. (2025). Knowing and Finding Your Place: Turkish-Born Women in Sweden Doing and Redoing Gender. NORA: Nordic Journal of Feminist and Gender Research, 1-14. [BibTeX]
Dahmen-Adkins, J. & Peterson, H. (2024). Benefits of reflection-based monitoring in action research projects. Action Research. [BibTeX]
Peterson, H. & Husu, L. (2023). Online panel work through a gender lens: implications of digital peer review meetings. Science and Public Policy, 50 (3), 371-381. [BibTeX]
Peterson, H. & Jordansson, B. (2022). Gender mainstreaming in Swedish academia: translating policy into practice. Journal of Gender Studies, 31 (1), 87-100. [BibTeX]
Jordansson, B. & Peterson, H. (2021). Jämställdhet i akademin: Ett sisyfosarbete?. Tidskrift för Genusvetenskap, 42 (1), 3-9. [BibTeX]
Jordansson, B. & Peterson, H. (2021). Lokal styrning av jämställdhetsintegrering inom akademin. Arbetsmarknad & Arbetsliv, 27 (1), 7-25. [BibTeX]
Dahmen-Adkins, J. & Peterson, H. (2021). Micro Change Agents for Gender Equality: Transforming European Research Performing Organizations. Frontiers in Sociology, 6. [BibTeX]
Peterson, H. (2019). A Women-Only Leadership Development Program: Facilitating Access to Authority for Women in Swedish Higher Education?. Social Sciences, 8 (5). [BibTeX]
Jordansson, B. & Peterson, H. (2019). Jämställdhetsintegrering vid svenska universitet och högskolor: Det politiska uppdraget återspeglat i lärosätenas planer. Kvinder, Køn og Forskning, 28 (1-2), 58-70. [BibTeX]
Peterson, H. & Engwall, K. (2019). Why Would You Want a Baby When You Could Have a Dog?: Voluntarily Childless Women's "Peternal" Feelings, Longing and Ambivalence. Social Sciences, 8 (4). [BibTeX]
Peterson, H. (2018). From "Goal-Orientated, Strong and Decisive Leader" to "Collaborative and Communicative Listener": Gendered Shifts in Vice-Chancellors Ideals, 1990-2018. Education Sciences, 8 (2). [BibTeX]
Peterson, H. (2017). Gender and prestige in Swedish academia: Exploring senior management in universities and university colleges. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 61 (1), 1-17. [BibTeX]
Peterson, H. (2017). Je ne serai jamais femme au foyer: Le refus d’avoir des enfants en Suède. Travail, genre et sociétés (37), 71-89. [BibTeX]
Peterson, H. (2016). Is Managing Academics "Women's Work"?: Exploring the Existence of a Glass Cliff in Higher Education Management. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 44 (1), 112-127. [BibTeX]
Peterson, H. (2016). Merging management ideals in Swedish IT offshoring. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 32 (2), 97-105. [BibTeX]
Peterson, H. & Engwall, K. (2016). Missing Out on the Parenthood Bonus?: Voluntarily Childless in a “Child-friendly” Society. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 37 (4), 540-552. [BibTeX]
Peterson, H. (2015). Exit the king. Enter the maid: Changing discourses on gendered management ideals in Swedish Higher Education. Gender in Management, 30 (5), 343-357. [BibTeX]
Peterson, H. (2015). Fifty shades of freedom: Voluntary childlessness as women's ultimate liberation. Women's Studies: International Forum, 53, 182-191. [BibTeX]
Peterson, H. (2015). “Unfair to women”? Equal representation policies in Swedish academia. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, 34 (1), 55-66. [BibTeX]
Blomqvist, M. , Peterson, H. & Dhar-Bhattacharjee, S. (2015). “You Feel The Threat From Asia”: Onshore Experiences of IT Offshoring To India. Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies, 5 (4), 41-66. [BibTeX]
Peterson, H. (2014). Absent Non-Fathers: Gendered representations of voluntary childlessness in Swedish newspapers. Feminist Media Studies, 14 (1), 22-37. [BibTeX]
Peterson, H. (2014). An Academic ‘Glass Cliff’?: Exploring the Increase of Women in Swedish Higher Education Management. Athens Journal of Education, 1 (1), 33-44. [BibTeX]
Peterson, H. & Engwall, K. (2013). Silent bodies: Childfree women’s gendered and embodied experiences. The European Journal of Women's Studies, 20 (4), 376-389. [BibTeX]
Peterson, H. (2011). Barnfri: en stigmatiserad position. Sociologisk forskning, 48 (3), 5-26. [BibTeX]
Peterson, H. (2011). The gender mix policy: addressing gender inequality in higher education management. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 33 (6), 619-628. [BibTeX]
Engwall, K. & Peterson, H. (2011). Är det privata politiskt?: Barnfri i ett barnvänligt samhälle. Socialvetenskaplig tidskrift, 18 (2), 126-143. [BibTeX]
Peterson, H. & Engwall, K. (2010). Naturligt barnfri: Kroppens betydelse i frivilligt barnlösas positionering. Tidskrift för Genusvetenskap (3), 5-28. [BibTeX]
Peterson, H. (2010). The Gendered Construction of Technical Self-Confidence: Women’s Negotiated Positions in Maledominated, Technical Work Settings. International Journal of Gender, Science and Technology, 2 (1), 66-88. [BibTeX]
Peterson, H. (2007). Flexibilitet och förtroende i avreglerade organisationer: ett arbetstagarperspektiv. Arbetsmarknad & Arbetsliv, 13 (2), 27-40. [BibTeX]
Peterson, H. (2007). Gendered Work Ideals in Swedish IT Firms: Valued and Not Valued Workers. Gender, Work and Organization, 14 (4), 333-348. [BibTeX]
Peterson, H. (2007). Gendered work ideals in Swedish IT firms: valued and not valued workers. Gender, Work and Organization, 14 (4), 333-348. [BibTeX]

Books

Jordansson, B. & Peterson, H. (2022). Jämställdhet i akademin: Hinder och möjligheter när politik ska bli praktik. Lund: Studentlitteratur AB. [BibTeX]
Roman, C. & Peterson, H. (2011). Familjer i tiden: förhandling, kön och gränslöst arbete. Umeå: Borea. [BibTeX]

Chapters in books

Husu, L. & Peterson, H. (2024). Research funding organisations as change agents for gender equality: Policies, practices and paradoxes in Sweden. In: Sandra Acker; Oili-Helena Ylijoki; Michelle K. McGinn, The Social Production of Research: Perspectives on Funding and Gender (pp. 204-220). . Routledge. [BibTeX]
Peterson, H. & Alsarve, J. (2022). Den minimalistiska familjen: mellan dröm och verklighet. In: Rolf Lidskog; Erik Löfmarck, En mänsklig natur: Risker, reglering och representationer (pp. 133-153). Örebro: Örebro universitet, sociologiämnet. [BibTeX]
Peterson, H. & Jordansson, B. (2022). Managing and leading gender equality change in academia. In: Cláudia S. Sarrico; Maria J. Rosa; Teresa Carvalho, Research Handbook on Academic Careers and Managing Academics (pp. 165-174). . Edward Elgar Publishing. [BibTeX]
Peterson, H. , Carvalho, T. , Jordansson, B. & de Lourdes Machado-Taylor, M. (2021). Institutionalised Resistance to Gender equality Initiatives in Swedish and Portuguese Academia. In: Pat O'Connor; Kate White, Gender, Power and Higher Education in a Globalised World (pp. 25-46). Cham: Palgrave Macmillan. [BibTeX]
Salminen-Karlsson, M. & Peterson, H. (2020). Gender equality projects at European level: Exploring factors for success. In: Sofia Strid; Dag Balkmar; Jeff Hearn; Louise Morley, Does knowledge have a gender? A Festschrift for Liisa Husu on gender, science and academia (pp. 136-145). Örebro: Örebro University. [BibTeX]
Peterson, H. (2019). "Här blir inga barn gjorda!": Kan frivillig barnlöshet förhandlas?. In: Alsarve, Jenny; Löfmarck, Erik, Samhälle i förhandling: villkor, processer, konsekvenser : festskrift till Christine Roman. Örebro: Sociologiämnet vid Örebro universitet. [BibTeX]
Peterson, H. (2018). Finding ‘Mr Right’?: Childfree Women’s Partner Preferences. In: Sappleton, Natalie, Voluntary and involuntary childlessness: the joys of otherhood? (pp. 237-259). Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing Limited. [BibTeX]
Peterson, H. , Salminen-Karlsson, M. & Dhar-Bhattacharjee, S. (2017). A Perfect Match? Cultural Clashes and Gendered Work Ideals in Transnational IT Companies. In: Helen Peterson, Gender in Transnational Knowledge Work (pp. 53-78). Cham: Springer. [BibTeX]
Peterson, H. & Jordansson, B. (2017). Gender Equality as a Core Academic Value: Undoing Gender in a ‘Non-Traditional’ Swedish University. In: White, Kate; O'Connor, Pat, Gendered success in higher education: global perspectives (pp. 27-47). London: Palgrave Macmillan. [BibTeX]
Peterson, H. (2017). Kön och arbete. In: Bengtsson, Mattias; Berglund, Tomas, Arbetslivet (pp. 353-370). Lund: Studentlitteratur AB. [BibTeX]

Collections (editor)

Peterson, H. (ed.) (2017). Gender in Transnational Knowledge Work. Cham: Springer (Crossroads of Knowledge ). [BibTeX]
Engwall, K. (ed.) & Peterson, H. (ed.) (2010). Frivillig barnlöshet: barnfrihet i en nordisk kontext. Stockholm: Dialogos Förlag (Serie Framtider ). [BibTeX]

Conference papers

Husu, L. , Peterson, H. , Schiffbaenker, H. & Sauer, A. (2023). Research Funding Organisations As Change Agents for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: European Perspectives. In: Book of abstracts XX ISA World Congress of Sociology. Paper presented at XX ISA World Congress of Sociology, Melbourne, Australia, June 25 - July 1, 2023. (pp. 328-328). International Sociological Association. [BibTeX]
Peterson, H. , Husu, L. , Schiffbänker, H. & Sauer, A. (2023). The GEP as instrument to foster gender equality and intersectionality: also for RFOs?. Paper presented at 21st Annual STS Conference, Graz, Austria, May 8-10, 2023. [BibTeX]
Peterson, H. (2023). "Through Change and Through Storm, Better and Stronger”: Academic Crisis Management Discourses Through a Gender Lens. In: Gender, Work and Organization Conference Book of Abstracts. Paper presented at Gender, Work and Organization Conference: Marginalised Gender Identities - How can Intellectual Activism transform Work and Organization, Stellenbosch, South Africa, June 28-30, 2023. (pp. 162-162). [BibTeX]
Peterson, H. (2022). Beyond the Glass Cliff? Women leaders in Swedish Higher Education. In: Climbing up the Glass Cliff Another Invisible Barrier Behind the Glass Ceiliing?. Paper presented at International Symposium, Tokyo, Japan, December 23, 2022. (pp. 53-59). The Institute for Global Leadership, Ochanomizu University. [BibTeX]

Doctoral theses, monographs

Peterson, H. (2005). Gender, power and post-bureaucracy: work ideals in IT consulting. (Doctoral dissertation). Uppsala: Department of Sociology, Uppsala University. [BibTeX]

Manuscripts

Tuncer, M. , Alsarve, J. & Peterson, H. Knowing and Finding Your Place : Turkish-born women in Sweden doing and undoing gender. [BibTeX]

Reports

Jordansson, B. & Peterson, H. (2024). Jämställdhetsintegrering i akademin: framgångar och fallgropar i implementeringsprocessen. Göteborg: Jämställdhetsmyndigheten (Underlagsrapport 2024:2). [BibTeX]
Husu, L. , Peterson, H. , Schiffbänker, H. , Hearn, J. , Sauer, A. , Hock, M. & Walker, D. (2022). GRANTeD - Grant Allocation Disparities from a Gender Perspective: Synthesis report on contextual factors, gender equality policy analysis and gender bias risk analysis (Deliverable 5.1.).. . [BibTeX]
Peterson, H. & Dahmen, J. (2018). Monitoring Handbook: Methods and tools for monitoring developed in the GenderTime project. Gothenburg: Institutionen för sociologi och arbetsvetenskap (Gothenburg Studies in Work Science 1). [BibTeX]