Nordic Center for Research on Work and Family Life through the Life Course – NorLife

We investigate the interaction between work and family throughout life, from young adults in the initial phase of working life, to senior employees on their way to retirement.  NorLife aims to increase knowledge on how to maintain a sustainable, healthy, and equality promoting working life through the various life stages. We research topics such as:

• boundaries between work and family life
• digitalization in the workplace and at home
• employees with care responsibilities for children or old parents
• senior employees
• health and gender equality in the workplace.

An ageing population and lower fertility, as well as digitalization, all suggest a holistic approach to researching work and family life. By using quantitative and qualitative methods, we aim to answer research questions such as: 

• How do new ways of organising work affect its boundaries with family life in a Nordic welfare context? 
• Which challenges do employees experience when they have old parents in need of care?
• To what extent do pregnant women and parents face discrimination at their workplace? 
• What is work-related mobile use outside office hours doing to us and our families? 
• What type of shift arrangements suit healthcare personnel best when they have family care obligations ?

To answer these and other relevant questions about the relationship between work and family life, we have gathered a strong multidisciplinary team. It includes researchers of various disciplines, including sociology, psychology, health sciences, political science, criminology, jurisprudence, social anthropology, history, human geography, and philosophy.