May-Len Skilbrei (born 1971) is a Norwegian sociologist,

criminologist Criminology (from Latin , "accusation", and Ancient Greek , ''-logia'', from λόγος ''logos'' meaning: "word, reason") is the study of crime and deviant behaviour. Criminology is an interdisciplinary field in both the behavioural and so ...

and

gender studies Gender studies is an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to analysing gender identity and gendered representation. Gender studies originated in the field of women's studies, concerning women, feminism, gender, and politics. The field ...

scholar. She is Professor of Criminology at the Department of Criminology and Sociology of Law at the University of Oslo Faculty of Law. She has previously been Managing Director of the Fafo Institute for Applied International Studies. She is editor-in-chief of the journal '' Sosiologi i dag'' (with Kari Stefansen). She has also been President of the Association for Gender Research in Norway, board member of the European Society of Criminology and board member of the University of Oslo Faculty of Law. She also headed the Research network on prostitution in the Nordic countries. She has been described by ''

Aftenposten ( in the masthead; ; Norwegian for "The Evening Post") is Norway's largest printed newspaper by circulation. It is based in Oslo. It sold 211,769 copies in 2015 (172,029 printed copies according to University of Bergen) and estimated 1.2 million ...

'' as one of Norway's leading experts on

prostitution Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...

and

human trafficking Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others. This may encompass providing a spouse in the context of forced marriage, or the extrac ...

Career

May-Len Skilbrei earned her PhD in sociology at the University of Oslo in 2003. She has been a research fellow and researcher at

Norwegian Social Research Norwegian Social Research ( no, Norsk institutt for forskning om oppvekst, velferd og aldring, NOVA) is a state social science research institute based in Oslo, Norway. It is part of Oslo Metropolitan University, and was formerly an independent st ...

(NOVA) 1998–2003, a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Criminology and Sociology of Law at the University of Oslo, before joining the private

Fafo Foundation The Fafo Research Foundation, also known as the Fafo Foundation or just Fafo ( no, Forskningsstiftelsen Fafo), is a Norwegian research foundation and owner of the research institute: The ''Fafo Institute for Labour and Social Research.'' The inst ...

where she was a researcher, research director and managing director for seven years until her appointment as a Professor of Criminology at the University of Oslo. Skilbrei's research has focused on

and

. She has also done research on unskilled women in the workforce. Her research fields are mainly migration,

gender Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to femininity and masculinity and differentiating between them. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e. gender roles) and gender identity. Most cultures u ...

immigration policy Border control refers to measures taken by governments to monitor and regulate the movement of people, animals, and goods across land, air, and maritime borders. While border control is typically associated with international borders, it a ...

and

violence Violence is the use of physical force so as to injure, abuse, damage, or destroy. Other definitions are also used, such as the World Health Organization's definition of violence as "the intentional use of physical force or Power (social and p ...

. In 2024 Hjellbrekke became a member of the

Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters ( no, Det Norske Videnskaps-Akademi, DNVA) is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway. Its purpose is to support the advancement of science and scholarship in Norway. History The Royal Frederick Univer ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Skilbrei, May-Len 1971 births Living people Norwegian sociologists Norwegian women sociologists Norwegian criminologists Gender studies academics Academic staff of the University of Oslo Academic journal editors