Margunn Bjørnholt (born 9 October 1958 in
Bø, Telemark
Bø is a village and municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Midt-Telemark, but was historically regarded as part of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bø i Telema ...
) is a Norwegian
sociologist and
economist
An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social science discipline of economics.
The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this field there are ...
. She is a
research professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...
at the
Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies
The Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies ( no, Nasjonalt kunnskapssenter om vold og traumatisk stress, NKVTS) is a research centre in Oslo, Norway, and Norway's national research institution in violence and sexual abuse; disa ...
(NKVTS) and a professor of sociology at the
University of Bergen
The University of Bergen ( no, Universitetet i Bergen, ) is a research-intensive state university located in Bergen, Norway. As of 2019, the university has over 4,000 employees and 18,000 students. It was established by an act of parliament in 194 ...
.
Her research focuses on
gender-based violence Gender-related violence or gender-based violence includes any kind of violence directed against people due to their gender or gender identification.
Types of gender-related violence include:
* Violence against women (sometimes referred to simply a ...
,
migrants and
refugees,
gender equality
Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing d ...
,
men and masculinities
''Men and Masculinities'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering men's studies. It was established in 1998 and is published by Sage Publications. The Co-Editors are Drs Kristen Barber, Tristan Bridges, and Joseph D. Nelson.
Abstr ...
,
policy studies
Policy studies is a subdisicipline of political science that includes the analysis of the process of policymaking (the policy process) and the contents of policy (policy analysis). Policy analysis includes substantive area research (such as health ...
, and several other topics. Her most recent research explores questions of gender, violence and power, including
sexual
Sex is the biological distinction of an organism between male and female.
Sex or SEX may also refer to:
Biology and behaviour
*Animal sexual behaviour
**Copulation (zoology)
**Human sexual activity
**Non-penetrative sex, or sexual outercourse
** ...
and gender-based violence against women migrants and refugees and violence in indigenous
Sámi
The Sámi ( ; also spelled Sami or Saami) are a Finno-Ugric-speaking people inhabiting the region of Sápmi (formerly known as Lapland), which today encompasses large northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and of the Murmansk Oblast, Ru ...
communities. Her earlier research focused on
ethical banking
An ethical bank, also known as a social, alternative, civic, or sustainable bank, is a bank concerned with the social and environmental impacts of its investments and loans. The ethical banking movement includes: ethical investment, impact inves ...
,
money
Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are as ...
,
monetary system
A monetary system is a system by which a government provides money in a country's economy. Modern monetary systems usually consist of the national treasury, the mint, the central banks and commercial banks.
Commodity money system
A commodity m ...
s,
management
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a Government agency, government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includ ...
and
organisational change in the
public sector
The public sector, also called the state sector, is the part of the economy composed of both public services and public enterprises. Public sectors include the public goods and governmental services such as the military, law enforcement, inf ...
.
She has also worked as a consultant, a civil servant, served as an expert to the
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...
and been president of the
Norwegian Association for Women's Rights
The Norwegian Association for Women's Rights ( no, italic=no, Norsk Kvinnesaksforening; NKF) is Norway's oldest and preeminent women's and girls' rights organization and works "to promote gender equality and all women's and girls' human rights thr ...
.
Background and career
She studied
economics
Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.
Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyzes ...
,
regional planning
Regional planning deals with the efficient placement of land-use activities, infrastructure, and settlement growth across a larger area of land than an individual city or town. Regional planning is related to urban planning as it relates land ...
,
politics
Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that stud ...
and
contemporary history; she holds a
cand.mag.
Candidatus magisterii (male), or candidata magisterii (female), abbreviated as cand.mag., is an academic degree currently awarded in Denmark. The degree is officially translated into English as Master of Arts and currently requires 5 years of stud ...
degree from the
University of Tromsø
The University of Tromsø – The Arctic University of Norway (Norwegian: ''Universitetet i Tromsø – Norges arktiske universitet''; Northern Sami: ''Romssa universitehta – Norgga árktalaš universitehta'') is a state university in Norway an ...
(1981), an MA in
European economic studies from the
College of Europe
The College of Europe (french: Collège d'Europe) is a post-graduate institute of European studies with its main campus in Bruges, Belgium and a second campus in Warsaw, Poland. The College of Europe in Bruges was founded in 1949 by leading ...
(1982), a
mag.art.
A magister degree (also magistar, female form: magistra; from la, magister, "teacher") is an academic degree used in various systems of higher education.
The magister degree arose in medieval universities in Europe and was originally equal to the ...
(PhD) in
economic sociology
Economic sociology is the study of the social cause and effect of various economic phenomena. The field can be broadly divided into a classical period and a contemporary one, known as "new economic sociology".
The classical period was concerned ...
from the
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...
(1995), with a dissertation on
microfinance,
ethical
Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns ma ...
and
interest
In finance and economics, interest is payment from a borrower or deposit-taking financial institution to a lender or depositor of an amount above repayment of the principal sum (that is, the amount borrowed), at a particular rate. It is distin ...
-free
bank
A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets.
Because ...
ing, and a PhD in the field of
men's studies
Men's studies is an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to topics concerning men, masculinity, gender, culture, politics and sexuality. It academically examines what it means to be a man in contemporary society.
Origins
Sociologists and ...
from
Örebro University
Örebro University ( sv, Örebro universitet) is a state university in Örebro, Sweden.
The university has its roots in the Örebro campus of Uppsala University, which became an independent state university college in 1977, Örebro University Col ...
(2014), with the dissertation ''Modern Men''. The dissertation, influenced and advised by psychologist
Margot Bengtsson, employs social psychological and sociological perspectives on intergenerational
transmission and
social change
Social change is the alteration of the social order of a society which may include changes in social institutions, social behaviours or social relations.
Definition
Social change may not refer to the notion of social progress or socio ...
. She was awarded full professor competence in 2015.
In the 1980s and early 1990s she worked at the
Regional Development Fund, the
National Institute of Technology
The National Institutes of Technology (NITs) are the central government-owned-public technical institutes under the ownership of Ministry of Education, Government of India. They are governed by the National Institutes of Technology, Science ...
, and as a partner in a consultancy, promoting
regional development
Regional development is a broad term but can be seen as a general effort to reduce regional disparities by supporting (employ) economin regions. In the past, regional development policy tended to try to achieve these objectives by means developmen ...
and
women's entrepreneurship and leadership. From 1993 she was affiliated with the Project for an Alternative Future, a research program at what is now the
Centre for Development and the Environment
The Centre for Development and the Environment ( no, Senter for utvikling og miljø, SUM) is a research institute which is part of the University of Oslo. Its focus areas are international development and environmental studies.
History
The Centre ...
at the
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...
. Since 1997 she has worked as a researcher and professor at a number of research institutions including the
Work Research Institute
The Work Research Institute (WRI) ( no, Arbeidsforskningsinstituttet, AFI), formerly known as the Institute of Work Psychology, is a Norwegian government-owned social science research institute in Oslo. Its purpose is to "produce systematic knowle ...
, the
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...
and the
University of Bergen
The University of Bergen ( no, Universitetet i Bergen, ) is a research-intensive state university located in Bergen, Norway. As of 2019, the university has over 4,000 employees and 18,000 students. It was established by an act of parliament in 194 ...
. In 2016 she became a
Research Professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...
at the
Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies
The Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies ( no, Nasjonalt kunnskapssenter om vold og traumatisk stress, NKVTS) is a research centre in Oslo, Norway, and Norway's national research institution in violence and sexual abuse; disa ...
(NKVTS) at the University of Oslo.
In 2021 she also became a professor of sociology at the
University of Bergen
The University of Bergen ( no, Universitetet i Bergen, ) is a research-intensive state university located in Bergen, Norway. As of 2019, the university has over 4,000 employees and 18,000 students. It was established by an act of parliament in 194 ...
.
She has served as an independent expert on gender equality to the
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...
, and has been a
visiting scholar
In academia, a visiting scholar, visiting researcher, visiting fellow, visiting lecturer, or visiting professor is a scholar from an institution who visits a host university to teach, lecture, or perform research on a topic for which the visitor ...
at the
Feminism and Legal Theory Project
Overview
The Feminism and Legal Theory Project (FLT Project) is a project is to provide a forum for interdisciplinary feminist scholarship aimed at addressing issues relating to women and law. The project addresses the intersection of gender with ...
(led by
Martha Albertson Fineman) at
Emory Law, the
GEXcel Center of Gender Excellence and the Centre for Law and Social Justice at the
University of Leeds
, mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased
, established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds
, ...
.
She was a member of
Anne Hellum's research group Rights, Individuals, Culture and Society at the
University of Oslo Faculty of Law
The Faculty of Law ( no, Det juridiske fakultet) of the University of Oslo is Norway's oldest law faculty, established in 1811 as one of the four original faculties of The Royal Frederick University (renamed the University of Oslo in 193 ...
and is a member of the expert committee of
Rethinking Economics Rethinking Economics is a network of academic scholars and students in several countries that promotes pluralism in economics. It grew out of the broader International Student Initiative for Pluralist Economics and has groups in the United Kingdom, ...
in Norway. She is a global affiliate of Fineman's research group, the Vulnerability and the Human Condition Initiative at Emory Law, and of the WiSE Centre for Economic Justice at the
Glasgow School for Business and Society.
She has taught students in sociology and psychology at the University of Oslo, and students in
peace and conflict studies,
governance
Governance is the process of interactions through the laws, norms, power or language of an organized society over a social system ( family, tribe, formal or informal organization, a territory or across territories). It is done by the gove ...
,
criminology,
health policy and
family therapy at other universities.
Research
Her research interests include
gender-based violence Gender-related violence or gender-based violence includes any kind of violence directed against people due to their gender or gender identification.
Types of gender-related violence include:
* Violence against women (sometimes referred to simply a ...
,
migration
Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration
* Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another
** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...
,
gender equality
Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing d ...
,
men and masculinities
''Men and Masculinities'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering men's studies. It was established in 1998 and is published by Sage Publications. The Co-Editors are Drs Kristen Barber, Tristan Bridges, and Joseph D. Nelson.
Abstr ...
,
organisation
An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose.
The word is derived from ...
,
policy studies
Policy studies is a subdisicipline of political science that includes the analysis of the process of policymaking (the policy process) and the contents of policy (policy analysis). Policy analysis includes substantive area research (such as health ...
and several other topics. She has published papers in ''
The Sociological Review
''The Sociological Review'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering all aspects of sociology, including anthropology, criminology, philosophy, education, gender, medicine, and organization. The journal is published by SAGE Publicatio ...
'', the ''
Journal of European Social Policy'', ''
Qualitative Research
Qualitative research is a type of research that aims to gather and analyse non-numerical (descriptive) data in order to gain an understanding of individuals' social reality, including understanding their attitudes, beliefs, and motivation. This ...
'', ''
Retfærd'', the ''
Nordic Journal of Criminology'', the ''Journal of Gender-Based Violence'', ''
Norma Norma may refer to:
* Norma (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name)
Astronomy
*Norma (constellation)
*555 Norma, a minor asteroid
* Cygnus Arm or Norma Arm, a spiral arm in the Milky Way galaxy
Geography
*Norma, Lazi ...
'', ''
Fathering'', ''Central and Eastern European Migration Review'', and other journals.
Her research in the 1990s focused on
ethical banking
An ethical bank, also known as a social, alternative, civic, or sustainable bank, is a bank concerned with the social and environmental impacts of its investments and loans. The ethical banking movement includes: ethical investment, impact inves ...
,
money
Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are as ...
and
monetary system
A monetary system is a system by which a government provides money in a country's economy. Modern monetary systems usually consist of the national treasury, the mint, the central banks and commercial banks.
Commodity money system
A commodity m ...
s. From the late 1990s she focused on
management
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a Government agency, government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includ ...
and
organisational change in the
public sector
The public sector, also called the state sector, is the part of the economy composed of both public services and public enterprises. Public sectors include the public goods and governmental services such as the military, law enforcement, inf ...
, particularly organisational and spatial flexibility. Her research on working life led her to work–family issues and
men's studies
Men's studies is an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to topics concerning men, masculinity, gender, culture, politics and sexuality. It academically examines what it means to be a man in contemporary society.
Origins
Sociologists and ...
, and from the 2000s she has published widely on changes over time and generations in men's work–family practices and gender relations, employing social psychological and sociological perspectives on intergenerational transmission and
social change
Social change is the alteration of the social order of a society which may include changes in social institutions, social behaviours or social relations.
Definition
Social change may not refer to the notion of social progress or socio ...
.
She has also studied the cultural adaptations and transnational practices of Polish migrants to Norway, and has been involved in several projects in
Central and Eastern Europe.
Since the 2010s her research has focused on questions of gender, violence and power. She has led several research projects at
NKVTS
The Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies ( no, Nasjonalt kunnskapssenter om vold og traumatisk stress, NKVTS) is a research centre in Oslo, Norway, and Norway's national research institution in violence and sexual abuse; disa ...
funded by the
Ministry of Justice and Public Security
The Royal Ministry of Justice and Public Security ( no, Det kongelige justis- og beredskapsdepartement) is a Norwegian government ministry that oversees justice, the police, and domestic intelligence. The main purpose of the ministry is to provide ...
, including a project on
intimate partner violence
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is domestic violence by a current or former spouse or partner in an intimate relationship against the other spouse or partner. IPV can take a number of forms, including physical, verbal, emotional, economic and s ...
with a focus on the importance of gender and power relations and a project on violence in indigenous
Sámi
The Sámi ( ; also spelled Sami or Saami) are a Finno-Ugric-speaking people inhabiting the region of Sápmi (formerly known as Lapland), which today encompasses large northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and of the Murmansk Oblast, Ru ...
communities. She currently heads the Norwegian part of an EU-funded research project on
sexual
Sex is the biological distinction of an organism between male and female.
Sex or SEX may also refer to:
Biology and behaviour
*Animal sexual behaviour
**Copulation (zoology)
**Human sexual activity
**Non-penetrative sex, or sexual outercourse
** ...
and
gender-based violence Gender-related violence or gender-based violence includes any kind of violence directed against people due to their gender or gender identification.
Types of gender-related violence include:
* Violence against women (sometimes referred to simply a ...
against women
migrants and
refugees, in cooperation with
Jane Freedman,
Ruth Halperin-Kaddari and researchers in six other countries in Europe, the Middle East and Canada. The aim of the project is to make policy recommendations for reducing women's vulnerability to sexual and gender-based violence. She co-edited a book on ''Men, Masculinities and Intimate Partner Violence'' with
Lucas Gottzén and
Floretta Boonzaier, and a book on violence in close relations with
Kristin Skjørten and others.
Other research fields include theories of
social justice
Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, Equal opportunity, opportunities, and Social privilege, privileges within a society. In Western Civilization, Western and Culture of Asia, Asian cultures, the concept of social ...
, the
welfare state
A welfare state is a form of government in which the state (or a well-established network of social institutions) protects and promotes the economic and social well-being of its citizens, based upon the principles of equal opportunity, equita ...
,
human rights
Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...
, and
feminist economics
Feminist economics is the critical study of economics and economies, with a focus on gender-aware and inclusive economic inquiry and policy analysis. Feminist economic researchers include academics, activists, policy theorists, and practition ...
. She has cooperated with the American legal theorist
Martha Albertson Fineman for a number of years and edited an issue of the journal ''
Retfærd'' on Fineman's vulnerability theory in 2013. She was co-editor, with the Scottish economist
Ailsa McKay, of the 2014 book ''Counting on
Marilyn Waring
Dame Marilyn Joy Waring (born 7 October 1952) is a New Zealand public policy scholar, international development consultant, former politician, environmentalist, feminist and a principal founder of feminist economics.
In 1975, aged 23, she beca ...
: New Advances in Feminist Economics''. She has also published works on the contemporary use of
intangible cultural heritage, the relationship between
learning and
architecture
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...
, and
research methods
Research is "creativity, creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular att ...
.
Civic and political activities
In the early 1980s she was a journalist for the feminist radio station
radiOrakel. She was involved in the
ethical banking
An ethical bank, also known as a social, alternative, civic, or sustainable bank, is a bank concerned with the social and environmental impacts of its investments and loans. The ethical banking movement includes: ethical investment, impact inves ...
movement in the early 1990s as chair of a working group attempting to start a bank in Norway modelled after, and in cooperation with,
JAK Members Bank
The JAK Members Bank, or JAK Medlemsbank, is a cooperative, member-owned financial institution based in Skövde, Sweden, and based on a concept that arose in Denmark in 1931. ''JAK'' is an acronym for ''Jord Arbete Kapital'' in Swedish or ''Land ...
in Sweden. She has been president of the
Norwegian Association for Women's Rights
The Norwegian Association for Women's Rights ( no, italic=no, Norsk Kvinnesaksforening; NKF) is Norway's oldest and preeminent women's and girls' rights organization and works "to promote gender equality and all women's and girls' human rights thr ...
(2013–2016),
President of the
Norwegian Women's Lobby
The Norwegian Women's Lobby (NWL; no, italic=no, Norges kvinnelobby) is a feminist policy and advocacy organization in Norway, and is described as the country's "main, national, umbrella organization" for women's rights. NWL is inclusive, promot ...
(2014–2016)
and a board member of the
International Alliance of Women
The International Alliance of Women (IAW; french: Alliance Internationale des Femmes, AIF) is an international non-governmental organization that works to promote women's rights and gender equality. It was historically the main international org ...
(2013–2017).
She was appointed by the Norwegian government as a member of the Norwegian delegation to the 59th and 60th sessions of the UN
Commission on the Status of Women
The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW or UNCSW) is a functional commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), one of the main UN organs within the United Nations. CSW has been described as the UN organ promoting gend ...
(CSW).
She was a candidate for the
Green Party
A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence.
Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation f ...
in the
2015 elections
The following elections were scheduled to occur in the year 2015.
Africa
* 2015 Beninese parliamentary election 26 April 2015
* 2015 Burkinabé general election 29 November 2015
* 2015 Burundian legislative election 29 June 2015
* 2015 Burun ...
.
Han topper Bærums grønne
''Budstikka'', 26 November 2014
Honours
* Article of the Year – Scandinavian University Press Academic Journal Prize (2021).
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bjornholt, Margunn
1958 births
Living people
Norwegian sociologists
Norwegian economists
Social psychologists
Economic sociologists
Family sociologists
Sociologists of law
Men and masculinities scholars
Feminist economists
Norwegian feminists
Norwegian civil servants
Academic staff of the University of Oslo
Academic staff of the University of Bergen
Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies people
Work Research Institute people
Innovation Norway people
College of Europe alumni
University of Tromsø alumni
University of Oslo alumni
Norwegian expatriates in Belgium
Norwegian women academics
Norwegian women sociologists
HuffPost writers and columnists
Norwegian women's rights activists
People from Bø, Telemark
People from Bærum
20th-century Norwegian politicians
21st-century Norwegian politicians
20th-century Norwegian women politicians
21st-century Norwegian women politicians