<p>The social imbalance recruitment has been a current topic for years. Since much research has focused on the higher education's problems with this, this thesis aims to investigate if you are already at the high school choice were influenced by your social background. To get a further dimension to this topic, the French sociologist Bourdieus thoughts on people's possession of, what he calls cultural capital was used, and we made use of it in the sense of parental education. Through a survey conducted in four ninth grades in two municipalities with different characteristics in terms of socio-economic conditions, we asked questions about their choice to high school. What programs did they choose? What factors were important? And which person had influenced them? The results showed a pretty clear dividing line between the pupils who came from homes with strong cultural capital to those who did not in the same sense. Students from these homes selected by an overwhelming majority a study preparatory program, the school's reputation was important and they had parents who were very active along with the student. Students who chose vocational programs, prioritized to a higher degree to begin work after high school, had discussed a lot with their parents but they (the parents) had not otherwise been so active. Conclusions of the study is that it largely follows the previous literature found on the subject, i.e. that the social background largely affects how we choose in specific situations. The parents' influence is great, which is useful for counsellors to know about and make use of in meeting with students and their families in school.</p> / <p>Den sociala snedrekryteringen har varit en aktuell fråga i många år. Eftersom mycket av forskningen har fokuserat på den högre utbildnings problem med detta, syftar denna studie till att undersöka om du redan vid gymnasievalet påverkas av din sociala bakgrund. För att få en ytterligare dimension till detta ämne, använder vi oss av den franska sociologen Bourdieus tankar om människors innehav av, vad han kallar kulturellt kapital, i betydelsen av föräldrarnas utbildning. Genom en undersökning som genomfördes i fyra nionde klasser i två kommuner med olika förutsättningar i fråga om socioekonomiska förhållanden, ställde vi frågor om deras val till gymnasiet. Vilket program har de valt? Vilka faktorer var viktiga? Och vilken person hade påverkat dem? Resultaten visade en ganska tydlig skiljelinje mellan de elever som kom från hem med starka kulturella kapital till dem som inte hade det i samma utsträckning. Studenter från dessa "kulturstarka" hem valde en överväldigande majoritet ett studieförberedande program, skolans rykte var viktigt och de hade föräldrar som var mycket aktiva tillsammans med eleven. Elever som valde yrkesinriktade program, prioriterade i högre grad att börja arbeta efter gymnasiet, hade diskuterat mycket med sina föräldrar men de (föräldrarna) hade inte annars varit så aktiva. Slutsatsen av studien är att det i stort sett följer det tidigare litteratur på området kommit fram till, nämligen att den sociala bakgrunden till stor del påverkar hur vi väljer i specifika situationer. Föräldrarnas inflytande är stort, vilket är användbart för vägledare att känna till och använda sig av i mötet med elever och deras familjer i skolan.</p>

<p>Abstract</p><p>Purpose/Aim: My study aims to analyse, using Pierre Bourdieu´s theory, whether the social background plays a significant part in the attitudes and use of Apples mp3-player iPod. The study also aims to determine whether it is possible to group the focus groups used in my study and iPod into Bourdieu´s model.</p><p>Material/Method: The reference material used in this paper is mainly gathered from books concerning Pierre Bourdieu´s theories. I have also had four focus groups of two different characters, to study their attitudes towards Apples mp3-player iPod. I have then applied the results of the focus groups to Bourdieu´s theories and models concerning habitus, social fields, capital and lifestyles, and studied whether there are any divergences in attitudes between the groups.</p><p>Main results: My findings are that the focus groups as well as iPod can be put into Bourdieu´s model. According to the responses from the people in the focus groups, the attitude and usage of iPod do not mirror people’s social class or background, which goes against Bourdieu´s’ theory. Instead, the taste and attitude towards iPod seem to be based on people’s individual choices, which better ties in with Anthony Gidden’s reasoning. Thus, it seems that Apple have managed to develop a product that attracts people of different social class and background.</p><p>Key words: iPod, habitus, social fields, capital, lifestyles, social background, focus group, status 1</p>

The social imbalance recruitment has been a current topic for years. Since much research has focused on the higher education's problems with this, this thesis aims to investigate if you are already at the high school choice were influenced by your social background. To get a further dimension to this topic, the French sociologist Bourdieus thoughts on people's possession of, what he calls cultural capital was used, and we made use of it in the sense of parental education. Through a survey conducted in four ninth grades in two municipalities with different characteristics in terms of socio-economic conditions, we asked questions about their choice to high school. What programs did they choose? What factors were important? And which person had influenced them? The results showed a pretty clear dividing line between the pupils who came from homes with strong cultural capital to those who did not in the same sense. Students from these homes selected by an overwhelming majority a study preparatory program, the school's reputation was important and they had parents who were very active along with the student. Students who chose vocational programs, prioritized to a higher degree to begin work after high school, had discussed a lot with their parents but they (the parents) had not otherwise been so active. Conclusions of the study is that it largely follows the previous literature found on the subject, i.e. that the social background largely affects how we choose in specific situations. The parents' influence is great, which is useful for counsellors to know about and make use of in meeting with students and their families in school. / Den sociala snedrekryteringen har varit en aktuell fråga i många år. Eftersom mycket av forskningen har fokuserat på den högre utbildnings problem med detta, syftar denna studie till att undersöka om du redan vid gymnasievalet påverkas av din sociala bakgrund. För att få en ytterligare dimension till detta ämne, använder vi oss av den franska sociologen Bourdieus tankar om människors innehav av, vad han kallar kulturellt kapital, i betydelsen av föräldrarnas utbildning. Genom en undersökning som genomfördes i fyra nionde klasser i två kommuner med olika förutsättningar i fråga om socioekonomiska förhållanden, ställde vi frågor om deras val till gymnasiet. Vilket program har de valt? Vilka faktorer var viktiga? Och vilken person hade påverkat dem? Resultaten visade en ganska tydlig skiljelinje mellan de elever som kom från hem med starka kulturella kapital till dem som inte hade det i samma utsträckning. Studenter från dessa "kulturstarka" hem valde en överväldigande majoritet ett studieförberedande program, skolans rykte var viktigt och de hade föräldrar som var mycket aktiva tillsammans med eleven. Elever som valde yrkesinriktade program, prioriterade i högre grad att börja arbeta efter gymnasiet, hade diskuterat mycket med sina föräldrar men de (föräldrarna) hade inte annars varit så aktiva. Slutsatsen av studien är att det i stort sett följer det tidigare litteratur på området kommit fram till, nämligen att den sociala bakgrunden till stor del påverkar hur vi väljer i specifika situationer. Föräldrarnas inflytande är stort, vilket är användbart för vägledare att känna till och använda sig av i mötet med elever och deras familjer i skolan.

Abstract Purpose/Aim: My study aims to analyse, using Pierre Bourdieu´s theory, whether the social background plays a significant part in the attitudes and use of Apples mp3-player iPod. The study also aims to determine whether it is possible to group the focus groups used in my study and iPod into Bourdieu´s model. Material/Method: The reference material used in this paper is mainly gathered from books concerning Pierre Bourdieu´s theories. I have also had four focus groups of two different characters, to study their attitudes towards Apples mp3-player iPod. I have then applied the results of the focus groups to Bourdieu´s theories and models concerning habitus, social fields, capital and lifestyles, and studied whether there are any divergences in attitudes between the groups. Main results: My findings are that the focus groups as well as iPod can be put into Bourdieu´s model. According to the responses from the people in the focus groups, the attitude and usage of iPod do not mirror people’s social class or background, which goes against Bourdieu´s’ theory. Instead, the taste and attitude towards iPod seem to be based on people’s individual choices, which better ties in with Anthony Gidden’s reasoning. Thus, it seems that Apple have managed to develop a product that attracts people of different social class and background. Key words: iPod, habitus, social fields, capital, lifestyles, social background, focus group, status 1

Huvudsyftet med denna studie är att kartlägga vilka faktorer som påverkar i gymnasievalet. Frågeställningar som belyses är vilka faktorer som påverkar eleverna och vilka personer som är betydelsefulla. I studien diskuteras också skillnader mellan olika grupper som exempelvis kön. Metoden som valdes var enkätundersökning med elever i årskurs 9 som stod inför sitt gymnasieval. Resultatet visar att intresse och att programmet ska förbereda för högre studier är de faktorer som påverkar mest. Betydelsefulla personer är framförallt eleven själv, men också vårdnadshavare. Som teoretisk utgångspunkt har Pierre Bourdieus begreppsram använts. Resultatet visar att vårdnadshavarnas utbildningsnivå har en direkt påverkan på elevens meritvärde vilket i sin tur påverkar valet mot ett bredare program med inriktning mot teoretiska ämnen. Det finns ett samband mellan vilket intresse som utvecklas och elevens habitus. Vårdnadshavarnas informationskapital och skolkapital påverkar också elevens val av program. / The main objective of this study is to identify factors that affect the high school choice. The research questions highlights factors that affect students and which persons were significant. The study also discusses the differences between various groups such as sex. The chosen method was a questionnaire survey of students in grade 9 who were facing their election. The results showed that interest and the program to prepare for higher studies was the factors that impacted the most. Important people were mainly pupils themselves, but also parents. As a theoretical point, Pierre Bourdieu's conceptual framework has been used. The results shown that parents education has a direct impact on the student's merit rating, which affects the choice of a broader program focusing on academic subjects. There is a relationship between the interest which is being developed and the student's habitus. Parents' information capital and school capital also affects the student's choice of programs.

The thesis includes three empirical studies on Swedish children’s well-being. Central themes in these studies are how children’s social relations are influenced by and influence other dimensions of their well-being. The studies are framed in the introductory chapter, which includes an international comparison of children’s social relations. Study I analyses whether relations with parents and teachers are associated with the adolescent’s social background and whether the positive consequences of having strong relations are more important for disadvantaged adolescents. The results, based on nationally representa­tive survey data, confirm that strong social relations are conducive to adolescents’ school and psychological outcomes, and show that dis­advan­taged adolescents have weaker relations with parents and teachers. Furthermore, these results imply that relations with teachers are of particular importance for disadvantaged adolescents’ outcomes, while parental relations are equally important for both advantaged and dis­advantaged adolescents. Study II investigates the social side of consumption by studying the association between adolescents’ economic resources and their relations with peers. Analyses on nationally representative survey data; which include children’s own responses, as well as information from parents and register data, show that economic resources, in terms of both house­hold economy and adolescents’ own resources, are positively associated with peer relations. Study III analyses whether final grades in compulsory school are influenced by the sex composition in school classes. Analyses using register data show that boys’ grades are negatively affected by the share of girls in school classes in typical female school subjects. Girls’ grades are negatively affected by the share of boys with highly educated parents. The proposed explanation behind the results is that sex composition effects are due to negative social comparisons with the other sex. / At the time of the doctoral defense, the following paper was unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 3: Submitted.

According to the Swedish preschool policy documents all children should have the same opportunities to develop their early language skills regardless of their social background. The purpose of this study is to investigate how preschool teachers work with children's early literacy and language development with focus on reading aloud. The reason is to investigate how the preschool teachers work to create an environment that stimulates children's literacy and language development. Another intention is to study how often reading aloud occurs in the children's home environment and what the preschool teachers thoughts are about that. The study is based on interviews with four preschool teachers and surveys that were answered by parents. This study's theoretical perspective is based on development and learning occuring through social contexts.The conclusions of the study is that the preschool teachers find it very important for the children to get their early literacy and language development stimulated and that they work to create an environment that fulfills this. The preschool teachers were not sure about if reading aloud in the children's home environment occurred. Whether or not, if reading aloud occurs at home the teachers believe that children will get their early language development and literacy at the preschool anyway. The surveys showed that all the parents read to their children at least once a week and it seemed that they thought it was meaningful. Key words: Social background, early language development, literacy, reading aloud, home environment. Nyckelord: Social bakgrund, tidig språkutveckling, litteracitet, högläsning, hemmiljö

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the introduction of the first ever Swedish female prime minister, Magdalena Andersson, by comparing her to a theoretical framework consistent with factors which are generally thought to facilitate the emergence of female prime ministers. Factors within two different perspectives: the party political - and the personal perspective, are gathered. The former includes factors concerning the political party of which the woman of interest has become party leader which then led to a prime ministership. The latter includes individual factors about who these women are in terms of their social backgrounds and personalities. Previous research is used as a way of collecting information on what factors have prevailed the emergence of female prime ministers and six different factors especially stand out and thus make up the theoretical framework. In order to analyze Andersson in comparison to the theoretical framework, this single case is tested by using a qualitative text analysis method. Different text material sources are used as dependent on the different factors being tested. The results show that nearly all of the factors were present during the introduction of Andersson. However, it also becomes clear that other factors might also have affected the introduction of Andersson, factors which could be relevant to take into account in further studies on the subject of female prime ministers.

Enligt skollagen ska studie- och yrkesvägledning finnas att tillgå från åk 2 för att förbereda barnen till att göra väl underbyggda val i framtiden men det finns inget krav på en person med denna specifika kompetens. Tidigare forskning visar på att individers karriärval påverkas av familj och andra personer i närheten men forskning är i stor utsträckning gjord på unga vuxna. Vi har intresserat oss för barn i 8-års ålder som en marginaliserad grupp. Utifrån detta har syftet att undersöka hur barn i 8-års ålders framtidstankar ser ut kring yrke utifrån deras sociala bakgrund tagits fram. Följande frågeställning har formulerats: Vad ser unga som möjliga yrkesvägar? Hur formas deras tankar? För att finna svar på dessa frågor har vi använt oss av en kvalitativ metod där sju stycken barn i åtta års ålder har intervjuats. Till vår hjälp har vi använt oss av Gottfredsons teori ”The Theory of Circumscription, Compromise and Self-Creation”, Careership teorin samt utvalda begrepp av Bourdieu för att analysera det empiriska materialet. Teori och tidigare forskning menar att vi är en summa av det liv vi lever och påverkar det liv som ses som möjligt. Vårt resultat visade att barn väljer yrke efter intresse samt självbild. Om man frågar barnen om de kan se några hinder i sina karriärdrömmar svarar de flesta barnen nej men under våra intervjuer får vi en tydlig bild av att dessa tankar påverkas av individer i deras omgivning. / According to the Education Act, guidance and counseling should be available from year 2 to prepare children to make informed choices in the future, but there is no requirement for a person with this specific expertise. Previous research shows that individuals' career choices are influenced by family and other people around them but research is largely made of young adults. We have an interest in children of age 8 as a marginalized group. Based on this, the aim of examining how children of age 8 thoughts for the future looks around the profession based on their social background, has been developed. The following question was formulated: What do young people see as possible career paths? How are their thoughts being formed? To find answers to these questions, we have used a qualitative method where seven children in eight years of age were interviewed. To help us, we have used Gottfredson's theory of "The Theory of circumscription, Compromise and Self-Creation", Careership theory and selected concepts of Bourdieu to analyze the empirical material. Theory and previous research mean that we are a sum of the life we ​​live and affect the life that is seen as possible. Our results showed that children choose the profession after interest and self-image. If you ask the children if they can see any obstacles in their career dreams responds most kids no but during our interviews, we get a clear picture of these thoughts are influenced by individuals in their environment.

This doctoral thesis provides a set of studies of social influences on fertility timing. Swedish register data are used to link individuals to their parents and siblings, thereby allowing the study of impacts of family of origin, social background, and parental death on fertility. The Swedish Medical Birth Register is used to investigate the effect of mode of delivery on higher order births. The thesis consists of an introductory chapter with an overview of the consequences and predictors of the timing of childbearing, and a theoretical framework to explain these relationships. This chapter also includes a section where the contribution to existing knowledge, the relation of the findings to life course theory, and suggestion for further research are discussed. This chapter is followed by four original empirical studies. The first study applies sister and brother correlations to investigate and estimate the impact of family of origin on fertility. It shows that family of origin matters for fertility timing and final family size. The study also shows that the overall importance of family of origin has not changed over the approximately twenty birth cohorts that were studied. The second study introduces three dimensions of social background - occupational class, status, and education - into fertility research. It suggests that social background, independent of individuals’ own characteristics, matters for the timing of first birth and the risk of childlessness. The study also shows that different dimensions of social background should not be used interchangeably. The third study uses the Swedish Medical Birth Register to investigate the effect of mode of delivery on the propensity and birth interval of subsequent childbearing. It demonstrates that mode of delivery has an impact on the progression to the second and third births but that a first delivery by vacuum extraction does not reduce the propensity of subsequent childbearing to the same extent as a first delivery by emergency or elective caesarean section. The fourth study explores the effects of parental death on adult children's fertility. The findings reveal that parental death during reproductive ages can affect children’s fertility. The effects are moderated by the gender of the child and when in the life course bereavement occurs. The combined output of these four studies provides evidence that human fertility behavior is embedded in social relationships with kin and friends throughout life. Family of origin, social background, an older sibling's birth, and bereavement following parental death influence the adult child's fertility. These findings add knowledge to previous research on intergenerational and social network influences in fertility.