In international humanitarian discourse, gender-based violence against women have long been recognised as a human rights violation and described as the most extreme expression of unequal power relations between men and women (UN 1993). Using a qualitative content analysis to examine the GREVIO reports of Denmark, Finland, and Sweden, the aim of this thesis is to outline the differences between and within these states regarding their response to violence against women. Drawing on insights from feminist political theory, and especially Nordic feminist theorists, these differences are made visible using the three concepts: hegemonic discourse, contradictory effects, and boundaries (Kantola and Dahl 2005). The theoretical background is complemented by theoretical contributions from feminist understandings of violence against women. In analysing the main differences between the states, many of these differences can be derived from the fact that the three states frame the violence differently, with Sweden adopting a gender-based frame while Denmark and Finland adopt gender-neutral frames of the violence. In analysing differences within states, there are two distinct forms of differences: differences due to a gap between principle and practice, and differences between various parts of the country. The findings of this thesis may provide a base for future in-depth studies of the Nordic, women-friendly, welfare states.

The aim of this study is to compare family policies between three Nordic countries. Specifically, the differences and similarities of family policies between the three Nordic countries – Sweden, Finland, and Denmark – regarding formal childcare, parental leave, and parents’ employment are analyzed through a qualitative research method, document analysis. The government documents of three Nordic countries are analyzed. Along with that, the latest differences in family policies between the three Nordic countries in 2019 and 2020 with regards to these aspects are explored through descriptive statistics. Thus, this study adopts a mixed methods design that combines quantitative and qualitative research. Through analysis, this study found that the family policy of Sweden supports the health and lifestyle of families with children and promotes gender equity the most among the three Nordic countries. Sweden has a high formal childcare enrollment rate, a gender-equal parental leave policy, and a high employment rate of women with children. Denmark’s family policy has performed second after Sweden, with high formal childcare enrollment rates and the highest average number of weekly hours in formal care particularly impressive. Finland’s family policy was somewhat inferior to that of Sweden and Denmark because of the relatively low formal childcare enrollment rate, shorter length of parental leave, and the comparatively low employment rate of women with children. This study is of great significance in that it revealed the differences in family policy between the three Nordic countries that were previously unknown. It is also meaningful in that the qualitative findings and quantitative findings were complemented by using a mixed research method.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to major transformations in education, workplaces, and work-life balance. Though most restrictions have been lifted in Sweden, some processes will likely remain online. This master thesis research collected quantitative data from a sample of university students at Halmstad University regarding the effects the pandemic had on their lives and their personal work preferences. Despite the pandemic leading to major changes both personally and professionally, the results of the study conclude that the pandemic primarily had both good and bad effects on education and did not have a major effect on university students’ outlook on their future in the labor market. Regarding preferences, this study found that there is no consensus. Several of the results are likely the effect of the culture and policies of the Nordic welfare states, which shape and surround this sample. This research contributes to the field of health and lifestyle as it identifies and analyzes potential factors which have strengthened and weakened the sample in focus.