About
Marlene Folkestad Persson is a senior researcher at the Section for Youth Research at Norwegian Social Research (NOVA), Oslo Metropolitan University. She has a MA in sociology from the University of Oslo, and a Phd (2022) in Social sciences from Oslo Metropolitan University. Persson studies inclusion in young peoples everyday life and in organized leisure activities. Her doctoral thesis explores gendered exclusion processes in youth sport. She is experienced in qualitive studies, including both interviews and field studies. She is currently co-leading the research project LIFECHANCES. The project analyse data fra Inequality in Youth – A Qualitative, Longitudinal Research Database, and explores how life chance differentition are affected by processes outside and inside of education. She is also currently studying young people’s homogenous approaches to and engagement with the climate crisis.
Field of study
Gender Youth Qualitative methodologies Leisure Activities Social Inclusion
Research groups
Research projects
Ongoing research projects
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Tomorrow’s Inequalities in the Making: Processes of Life Chance Differentiation within and outside of Education (LIFECHANCES)
In LIFECHANCES we investigate how differences between young people may become inequalities in life chances over time.
Completed research projects
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Leisure activities for Children and Youth in a Gender Equality Perspective
In this project, NOVA will review research from the last ten years that address children and youth’s leisure time in combination with perspectives on gender, gender equality and gender stereotypes.
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Participation in Sports among Norwegian Youth
The aim of the research project is to gain new knowledge about the social position and status of sport participation among young people in Norway.
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Sports Research at the Ungdata Centre
The project aims to update and widen our knowledge about participation in sports and physical activity and experiences with sports among children and young people in Norway.
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The Long-term Consequences of the Coronavirus Pandemic for Pupils in Lower Secondary School
We will investigate how schools worked to mitigate the long-term impact of the pandemic for different groups of students.
Publications and research
Scientific publications
Persson, Marlene Folkestad
;
Eriksen, Ingunn Marie
(2025).
Sports participation as a reflection of social inclusion in youth: a holistic exploration of sport within young people’s lives.
Sport, Education and Society.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13573322.2025.2451354
Eriksen, Ingunn Marie
;
Persson, Marlene Folkestad
;
Rogstad, Jon
(2025).
Navigating critical phases in adversity in youth: identification and reorientation.
Journal of Youth Studies.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2025.2462847
Persson, Marlene
(2022).
Playing without goals: gendered practices in recreational youth football.
Journal of Youth Studies.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2021.2022641
Persson, Marlene
;
Stefansen, Kari
; Strandbu, Åse
(2020).
Fotball som kjønnet mulighetsrom. Hvilken betydning har metafortellingen om kvinnefotball for unge jenters idrettsprosjekt?.
Tidsskrift for kjønnsforskning.
Vol. 44.
https://doi.org/10.18261/issn.1891-1781-2020-03-05
Persson, Marlene
; Espedalen, Lars Erik;
Stefansen, Kari
; Strandbu, Åse
(2019).
Opting out of youth sports: how can we understand the social processes involved?.
Sport, Education and Society.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13573322.2019.1663811
