The corona crisis affects the well-being, learning and education of children and adolescents in many different ways. It is likely that in most children, the long-term disadvantages of the corona crisis are related to the economic and social impacts on families with children. However, it is possible to minimise the detrimental effects on their well-being. For example, the negative effects of parental unemployment on children's education are most effectively reduced by preventing unemployment itself.
The Finnish welfare system is a success story enjoying global admiration. However, there is one central deficit in the current welfare system: it does not sufficiently help families with accumulated disadvantages. The goal of the INVEST project’s researchers is to build a Welfare State 2.0 in which disadvantages are tackled with targeted interventions.
With the help of a multidisciplinary register and questionnaire study, Finnish researchers showed that both the educational level and its occupational orientation predict the mother’s smoking during early pregnancy.
The research project Inequalities, Interventions, and New Welfare State (INVEST) of the University of Turku has received significant funding.
Research co-operation is carried out in international joint projects, national research projects and in informal research networks between researchers. Our key focus areas include social classes and education; social, economic and over-generational inequalities: population, families and family relationships; marginalisation, societal change, social movements, housing, and health and well-being.
Sociology examines social inequalities and the visible change of communities and society. The topics of study and teaching of sociology in the University of Turku are in particular social classes, education and income differentials and their inheritance, population, families and immigration, marginalisation, housing, health, gender differences, power, political activity and social movements.