I have worked as a full professor of social work at the University of Jyväskylä since 2014. Before that I worked as a senior lecturer in social work, senior researcher, and acting professor. I'm currently Head of Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy (2019- ). I have also been a member (2022-24) of the Research Council of Finland, Scientific Council of Social Sciences and Humanities.
Previously, I have studied and worked at the University of Tampere (Finland), and the University of Stirling (Scotland, UK) where I got my PhD in 1999. I amd adjunct professor (title of docent) at the University of Tampere, and visiting research fellow at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid in Spain.
My research interests combine social work research with feminist research. I am interested in feminist social work and the use of feminist theories and methodology in social work research, especially institutional ethnography. I have studied e.g. the relationships between women, family and the welfare state, motherhood and gender division in parenting, and local welfare policies and services from a gender perspective, especially services for and service needs of women in vulnerable life situations. Methodologically, I’m focused on ethnographic methods and qualitative comparative research.
