The working environments in female-dominated sectors are generally worse than in other parts of the labour market. In the health and care sectors, stress, exhaustion and sleep disorders are commonplace, and both male and female employees report high physical and mental strain.

In April 2016, Forte opened a call for proposals for research on working environments in female-dominated sectors. A total of 41 research applications were submitted and in October, Forte’s board granted funding to ten of the projects. The projects will be conducted in collaboration with industry partners and workplaces, so that research results can be easily and quickly implemented and can directly benefit businesses and organisations in the sector. The ten projects will be completed by 2020.

The projects that are currently underway cover a variety of research issues. Within the initiative, research projects are studying the working conditions of home care workers, why nurses and social workers choose to leave the profession and how the healthcare sector can create sustainable working conditions over time.

In this publication, you can read more about the ten research projects that Forte is now funding.

This publication is also available in a Swedish version. Read or download the Swedish version here.