The Covid-19 pandemic has put Sweden in a new and challenging situation. Several of thewomen's shelters in Sweden have reported an alarming pressure as a result of increased casesof women and children in vulnerable situations. Based on a qualitative research strategy, thisstudy examines how women's shelter workers experience and handles the practical andemotional work due to the Covid-19 pandemic. To examine this study's purpose and researchquestions, five semi-structured interviews were conducted with women’s shelter workers fromvarious women's shelters in Sweden. During each interview, the study subjects were given theopportunity to share their own experiences regarding the work situation due to the Covid-19pandemic. The gathered empirical material was analyzed using Arlie Hochschild's theoryregarding emotional work. The results of the study show that the majority of the study subjectsexperience changes in the number of abused women in need of help and support and that thepractical work has been limited and challenged. Furthermore, the study subjects experiencetheir jobs as even more emotionally demanding during the Covid-19 pandemic, but this had noeffect on the way of dealing with the emotional work. Several different coping strategies couldbe identified in the way of handling the emotional work, including recovery, previousprofessional experience, surface or deep emotional acting and the support from colleagues.With the help of different approaches, the study subjects distinguish themselves from theirprofessional role in order to not identify themselves too strongly with the emotional work. Theresults of the study proved that different coping strategies are of importance to be able to handleand complete emotional work. / Coronapandemin har resulterat i en ny och utmanande situation för Sverige. Många av landetskvinnojourer har rapporterat om ett alarmerande tryck på sina verksamheter till följd av ökadefall av kvinnor och barn i utsatta situationer. Utifrån en kvalitativ forskningsstrategi undersökerdenna studie hur jourkvinnors praktiska respektive emotionella arbete upplevs och hanteras tillföljd av coronapandemin. För att besvara studiens syfte och frågeställningar genomfördes femsemistrukturerade intervjuer med jourkvinnor från olika kvinnojourer i Sverige. Underrespektive intervjutillfälle fick jourkvinnorna möjlighet att dela med sig av sina egnaupplevelser gällande arbetssituationen under coronapandemin. Det empiriska materialetanalyserades med hjälp av emotionssociologiska begrepp från Arlie Hochschilds teori somberör emotionellt arbete. Resultaten visar att majoriteten av jourkvinnorna uppleverförändringar i antalet stödsökande och att det praktiska arbetet kommit att resultera ibegränsningar och utmaningar. Vidare visade det sig att jourkvinnorna utför ett än meremotionellt krävande arbete under coronapandemin, detta hade däremot ingen påverkan påjourkvinnornas sätt att hantera de emotionella påfrestningar som uppstår i arbetet medvåldsutsatta kvinnor. Arbetet som jourkvinnorna utför kunde även liknas med etthärbergeringsarbete i takt med att de bär på både sina egna och andras känslor. Flera olikahanteringsstrategier kunde identifieras i jourkvinnornas sätt att hantera det emotionella arbetet,däribland återhämtning, tidigare yrkeserfarenhet, ytligt respektive djup emotionellt agerandesamt stödet som återfinns hos jourkvinnornas kollegor. Det framgick att jourkvinnorna medhjälp av olika förhållningssätt kan skilja på sig själva och sin yrkesroll för att inte identifierasig för starkt med det emotionella arbetet. Olika hanteringsstrategier visade sig således vara avstor vikt för att jourkvinnorna ska kunna hantera och fullfölja det emotionella arbetet.

The purpose of this study is to find out how the non-governmental shelters for battered women identify themselves in context of their dependence and cooperation with the municipality. Their legitimacy is also investigated which is based on, along with identity, key concepts of the neoinstitutional organization theory. The mutual dependency between these two actors is problematized along with the question of who is responsible for assisting the battered women, and who takes on the responsibilities for them. The empirical result that is analyzed was gathered through three qualitative semi structured interviews with employed personnel at three different battered women’s shelters in three different municipalities in Sweden. Further, three qualitative semi structured interviews was held with a representative from the social services offices in those same municipalities. The results show that although the interaction between the battered women’s shelters and the municipalities vary a bit, all the battered women’s shelters are dependent on the municipalities in which they function for economic resources. It appears in the interviews that there is a mutual dependency whereas the social services rely on the knowledge and experiences the battered women’s shelters have gathered through the years, along with the low cost volunteer workers bring the organization.

The aim of this study was through theories of emotional labor; understand how staff and volunteers within women’s shelter handled their emotions in the encounters with battered women. To examine this we used a qualitative method and interviewed four staff members and three volunteers spread across four different women’s shelters. The data collected was analyzed using Hochschilds’ theory of emotional labor. The results show that the most common feelings within the women’s shelters were feelings of friendship, happiness, sadness and frustration. The results also show that the staff and volunteers needed to manage their emotion due to the inappropriateness of some feelings. The feelings that needed managing were primarily feelings of sadness, frustration and shock. To manage their emotion the staff and volunteers of the women’s shelters used both surface acting and deep acting. The surface acting used was that staff and volunteers hid the feelings that were considered inappropriate. The deep acting used was method acting, working experience, life experience and the staff and volunteers also managed their emotions by talking to fellow staff and their loved ones.

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur kvinnojourspersonal arbetar med barn som lever på skyddat boende samt hur de uppfattar att arbetet fungerar i praktiken. Studien utgick ifrån barnperspektivet som teoretisk tolkningsram. Data samlades in genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med kvinnojourspersonal som arbetar på skyddat boende. Materialet analyserades därefter med hjälp av tematisk analys. Sammantaget visade resultatet att arbetet med barnen som lever på skyddat boende ser väldigt olika ut. Viktiga arbetsområden visade sig vara miljön på boendet, att erbjuda olika typer av samtalsstöd, att stötta mammorna och att bedriva någon form av pedagogisk verksamhet. Andra delar i arbetet med barnen som personalen upplevde vara mindre fungerande var samverkan med socialtjänst och skola, resursbrist och inkluderande av förövaren i form av vårdnad- och umgängesfrågor. / Every year thousands of children are forced to flee their homes to women’s shelters due to domestic violence. This study aimed to explore how staff at women’s shelters work with the children. The aim was also to explore the workers experiences of the work with the children at the shelter. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight workers at different women’s shelters in Sweden. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. The results showed that the environment at the shelter, supporting the mothers, pedagogic activities and counseling are important aspects of the work with the children. The staff also raised some barriers in the work with the children at the women’s shelters, such as cooperation with social services and the children's schools, lack of resources and inclusion of the perpetrator in terms of contact and custody.

Våld i nära relationer är ett vanligt förekommande problem i samhället som drabbar familjer, individer och andra närstående på ett omfattande sätt. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur kvinnojourens samverkan kring våldsutsatta kvinnor fungerar i praktiken. Sex kvalitativa intervjuer har genomförts med olika kvinnojourer runt om i Sverige och intervjuerna analyserades genom en tematisk analys. Denna studie visar att kvinnojourer upplever samverkan som komplex och att det finns stora hinder men också möjligheter som medföljer samverkan. Studien visar även att anställda och ideellt arbetande på kvinnojourer upplever både svårigheter och möjligheter men även ett stort behov av samverkan. Ytterligare visar den här studien att det behövs mer forskning kring detta område. Resultatet i studien presenteras och diskuteras utifrån samverkansteori, tidigare forskning och respondenternas svar. / Intimate partner violence is a common problem in society that affects families, individuals and other relatives in a profound way. The purpose of this study is to investigate how women’s shelters collaborate collaborative work on women who are victims of violence works in practice. Six qualitative interviews were conducted with people that work in different women’s shelters in Sweden and the interviews were analyzed through a thematic analysis. This study shows that people that work in women’s shelters experience collaboration as complex and that there are major obstacles but also opportunities that come with collaboration. The study also shows that the people that work in women’s shelters perceive both difficulties and opportunities, but also a great need for collaboration. Furthermore, this study shows that more research is needed in this area. The results of the study are presented and discussed in conjunction with collaboration theory, previous research and the respondents’ answers.

This qualitative study is based on interviews about womens experiences of mental pain due to violence in close relationships. Men’s violence against women in close partner relationships is a major societal problem today not only in Sweden but also worldwide. The most common violence that occurs are the ones at home which makes it a hidden problem. Therefore the lack of knowledge about the subject makes it difficult to prevent it from happening. The purpose of this essay was to study women's experiences of violence in close relationships and how they feel that they have been affected by the psychological pain that has arisen as a result of violence in close relationships or harassment that they have experienced. The violence can be psychological, physical and sexual and the abuser successively takes control over the women and her life. A qualitative study was conducted with a thematic analysis and interview guide where women had been in contact with different women’s shelter. The results showed that we need to work further with violence and include preventioned work

According to a National Board Report (Hermansson, Lindgren and Tengström 2011) women staying at shelters feel much worse than the general population. These women are also in need of great efforts and support from various social assistance instances. Many women who have previously stayed at the shelters get an opportunity for a fresh start. The women who choose to remain in the process usually goes through a turbulent time during the first period, often with a lot of differnet emotions involved. It is not unusual that a lot of decisions have to be made in order to cut the ties with their old life (aa). This study investigates women’s experience from women's shelters and how that experiencee has contributed to their change of life. Semistructured interviews have been completed with eight different women, all of them with experience from women's shelters. This has been done in order to investigate the questions of the study which is to try to understand and interpret the women's experiences from the time at the women's shelters and how that has helped them to manage their situation. The theoretical point of departure is Aaron Antonovsky´s theory "Sense of Coherence" (SOC). The result from the study has been categorised in three different subjects: Women's background and experiences of women's shelters, the structure of women's shelters and women's expectations and desires from women's shelters. / Enligt Socialstyrelsens rapport (Hermansson, Lindgren och Tengström 2011) mår kvinnor som vistas på kvinnojourer mycket sämre än allmänbefolkningen och dessa kvinnor är i behov av stora insatser och stöd från samhällets olika hjälporgan. Många kvinnor som tidigare har bott på kvinnojourer får en möjlighet till nystart i livet med stöd av en organisation som endast arbetar för kvinnans skull. En del av kvinnorna väljer att gå tillbaka till sina gamla liv men de kvinnorna som väljer att stanna kvar går oftast igenom en turbulent tid den första perioden, ofta är det många olika känslor inblandade, det får också kämpa sig igenom flertalet olika beslut för att kapa banden med sina gamla liv (a.a). Denna studie handlar om kvinnors upplevelser om hur kvinnojourer har bidragit till att deras livssituation har förändrats. Semistrukturerade intervjuer har genomförts med åtta stycken kvinnor som bott på kvinnojourer tidigare. Detta för att kunna besvara studiens frågeställningar med syftet att försöka förstå samt tolka kvinnornas upplevelser av tiden på kvinnojouren och vad det har inneburit för kvinnorna i den uppbrottsprocess som lett kvinnorna till kvinnojouren. Den teoretiska utgångspunkten i uppsatsen är KASAM (känslan av sammanhang), vilket även används som analysredskap. Studiens resultat har kategoriserats i tre olika teman: Kvinnors bakgrund och upplevelser av kvinnojourer, Strukturen på kvinnojourerna och Kvinnors förväntningar och önskningar av kvinnojourer

<p>This paper aimed to investigate to what extent there is an age cut-off for teenage boys in the women’s shelters of Sweden and how a possible cut-off is described and maintained. This occurrence has not been investigated earlier to a large extent, which emphasizes the importance of this paper. A mixed strategy was used to cover both the frequency as well as the explanations to the age cut-off. The quantitative survey was sent to all women’s shelters in Sweden and the result showed that 56 % of the shelters had an age cut-off for teenage boys from 12 years of age and above. Qualitative interviews were conducted with six women’s shelters in Stockholm to examine how the notion teenage boys was constructed and used by the respondents to deny them refuge together with their mothers. The teenage boys were described as young men, aggressive and in the same time need of support, which all had the consequence that they could not stay at the shelters with collective housing. The age cut-off was neither discussed nor questioned by the members of the women’s shelters and was upheld by its legitimation. From a social constructive perspective the women’s shelters could be understood as institutionalized.</p>

This paper aimed to investigate to what extent there is an age cut-off for teenage boys in the women’s shelters of Sweden and how a possible cut-off is described and maintained. This occurrence has not been investigated earlier to a large extent, which emphasizes the importance of this paper. A mixed strategy was used to cover both the frequency as well as the explanations to the age cut-off. The quantitative survey was sent to all women’s shelters in Sweden and the result showed that 56 % of the shelters had an age cut-off for teenage boys from 12 years of age and above. Qualitative interviews were conducted with six women’s shelters in Stockholm to examine how the notion teenage boys was constructed and used by the respondents to deny them refuge together with their mothers. The teenage boys were described as young men, aggressive and in the same time need of support, which all had the consequence that they could not stay at the shelters with collective housing. The age cut-off was neither discussed nor questioned by the members of the women’s shelters and was upheld by its legitimation. From a social constructive perspective the women’s shelters could be understood as institutionalized.

I yrken med möten med människor som varit utsatta på något sätt och behöver stöd i en förändringsprocess krävs en kompetens för att möta den hjälpsökandes behov. Ständiga möten med människor i en utsatt situation alstrar ett lärande även hos den som förväntas stötta och uppmuntra till förändring. Föreliggande studie avser att undersöka upplevelser av lärande hos individer som arbetar med kvinnor utsatta för våld i en nära relation. Sex kvinnor i en mellanstor kommun i Sverige har deltagit i studien. De arbetar antingen yrkesmässigt eller ideellt i två samverkande verksamheter med utsatta kvinnor. Totalt har elva intervjuer genomförts där förfarandet haft en kvalitativ ansats. Det insamlade materialet har analyserats med en tolkande fenomenologisk analys, där resultatet består av följande tre teman: Ett omedvetet och medvetet lärande, formellt lärande samt informellt lärande. Resultatet visar också hur informanterna upplever olika förutsättningar för lärande samt vilken betydelse lärandet får för den dagliga verksamheten. Deltagarna upplever att de ständigt lär av andra och sig själva, där samarbete och samverkan är viktiga förutsättningar för att det dagliga arbetet skall fungera. Lärande är betydelsefullt för verksamhetens utveckling, individens personliga utveckling och för att den utsatta kvinnan skall få god hjälp. För att kunna lära behövs förutsättningar som exempelvis engagemang och intresse. Och för att dessa ska tillgodoses krävs förutsättningar av mottaglighet och utrymme som ges och fås, dels av individen själv men främst av individer i verksamheternas nätverk. / In occupations where encounters with people who have been exposed in some way and are in need of support in a process of change, competence is required to meet the needs of that person. Every encounter with people in vulnerable situations generates situations of learning also for the person that is expected to give support and encourage change. The present study aims to examine the experiences of learning within individuals who work with women victims of domestic violence. Six women in a medium-sized municipality in Sweden participated in the study. They either work with salaries or voluntarily in two collaborative units with abused women. A total of eleven interviews were conducted where the approach had a qualitative alignment. The collected material was analyzed with an interpretative phenomenological analysis and the result consists of the three following themes: Unconscious/conscious learning, formal learning and informal learning. The result also shows how the participants experience different conditions for learning and the importance learning adress to the daily worklife. Furthermore, the participants experience a constant learning from both other individuals and herself, where cooperation and collaboration are essential for the function of daily work. Learning is important for development of the workplace, personal development and so that the abused woman will get the help she need. To be able to learn, there are necessary preconditions such as commitment and interest. And for these to be met, other conditions are required such as receptivity and space, which are provided and obtained partly by the individual herself but mostly by individuals in the network surrounding the work places.