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Increased stress am Although most doctoral students feel fine and have a good relationship with their supervisor, an increasing number of the female doctoral students experience stress and anxiety. This is a worrying trend, say leading representatives for doctoral students, and suggest more t raining for supervisors. THIS SPRING, the ST survey on the well-being of doctoral students was released, which was a follow-up from 2012. The results show that there are no dramatic differences compared to eight years ago. On the positive side, however, more people today are employed. – I was not particularly surprised when I read the report. The picture is in line with the surveys we conducted at the University of Gothenburg (in 2015 and 2020), which showed that 10–15 percent of doctoral students are dissatisfied. A worrying development is that female doctoral students seem to feel worse, have sleep problems and feel stressed, says doctoral student ombudsman Lotta Larsson at the University of Gothenburg’s student unions (GUS). Her colleague Haruna Ohldin thinks it is lamentable that the situation has not improved significantly. – FOR MOST PEOPLE, it is a fantastic time in their life. You get to devote yourself to something wholeheartedly for four years and get paid to do it – at the same time, it can be a trying and sensitive period. Making sure everyone feels good in a workplace should be an obvious thing to strive towards, she says. The survey: Hur mår dok-
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GUJOURNAL SUMMER 2021
toranden? (How do doctoral students feel?) was produced by the trade union ST together with the SFS Doctoral Student Committee, and it confirms the assumption that working conditions for doctoral students are often difficult. Many people work when they are sick, they feel stressed and have sleep problems. Moreover, not that many of us can take four weeks of continuous vacation. THAT MANY doctoral students find it difficult to stop thinking about work is perhaps not so strange considering that it is an education that is extremely demanding with both highs and lows. In ST’s survey, more than 35 percent of respondents answered that, on a daily basis or several times a week, they have difficulty thinking about anything other than the work related to their doctoral thesis. This applies especially to women, younger doctoral students and Swedish doctoral students. – It is very common to take the job home with you and of course it affects family life. Being a doctoral student is a special form of employment: you are both an employee and a student. You often end up in limbo – to which group do you really belong? Above all, you do not have that much time to
Hur mår doktoranden?
- en rapport från Fackförbundet ST och SFS doktorandkommitté om forskarstuderandes psykosociala arbetsmiljö
complete it, four years effectively, including holidays, says Lotta Larsson. The start of the education is one of the most important factors for success, she believes. – Being well taken care of at the department is absolutely crucial, so that doctoral students know what rules apply, who to contact if there are any problems, and who is responsible for their employment conditions and health and safety. Surprisingly, there are a lot of doctoral students who think that their supervisor is their immediate manager. OF ALL THOSE WHO seek support
SFS The survey How do doctoral students feel? shows that especially women experience a lot of stress.
and help, the most common problem they mention is their supervisor – women are generally more dissatisfied than men. – If the relationship with your supervisor is not working, it can be traumatic. Even though from a legal perspective, you have the right to change supervisors, it is not that simple. Your individual study plan, ISP, which must be renewed at least once a year, is the most important document. It states whether you have had sufficient time for supervision or not. Part of the solution is to invest more in the training of supervisors, Lotta Larsson believes. – If there are repeated short-
