Ella Sihvonen
Presentation
I am a sociologist and senior researcher at Kela’s Research Unit. The two main focus areas for my recent research projects are Equality and encounters and Everyday life of families. I participate in research projects that explore the themes related to the everyday life, wellbeing, and social security of families, children, and adolescents, using various methods.
On leave of absence until December 2025.
Expertise
- qualitative research
- family benefits
- family policy
- social sciences
Ongoing Research Projects
Research Projects
- Low Income and Social Security Benefits Among Families With Children (Lapsoset)
- The Effectiveness of Social Assistance in Different and Changing Life Situations of Adolescents
- Arranging Everyday Life and Livelihood During the COVID-19 Epidemic
- The Role of Experimental Research in Producing Data for Decision-Making
- Koronakriisin vaikutukset sukupuolten tasa-arvoon (tietokayttoon.fi)
- Presumptions of Social Security
- Livelihood, Childcare, and Organising Everyday Life in Families After the Parents’ Separation
Publications
- Sihvonen, Ella (2022): ‘They are alone in their parenthood’: Parenting support and (re)building community. Sociological Research Online, 2022, Online first.
- Sihvonen, Ella (2021): Perhe- ja tulokäsite sosiaaliturvaetuuksissa. Sosiaali- ja terveysturvan raportteja. Helsinki: Kela. http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe202102013434
- Sihvonen, Ella (2021): Perhepolitiikan käänne kohti vanhemmuutta. Duodecim 5, 441-2.
- Virrankari, Lotta, Mattila, Hannu, Saikku, Peppi. Sihvonen Ella, Tervola, Jussi (toim.) (2021): Sosiaaliturvan monimutkaisuus. Sosiaaliturvakomitean ongelmaraportti. Sosiaaliturvakomitean julkaisuja 1. Helsinki: Valtioneuvosto. http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-00-8436-3
- Sihvonen, Ella, Saarikallio-Torp, Miia, Heinonen, Hanna-Mari (2020): Nuorena äidiksi vastoin normatiivisia odotuksia – Nuoret äidit kyselytutkimuksen valossa. Teoksessa Valkendorff, Tiina, Sihvonen, Ella (toim.) Nuorten perhe- ja läheissuhteet. Nuorten elinolot vuosikirja 2020. Helsinki: Nuorisotutkimusverkosto & Terveyden ja hyvinvoinnin laitos & Valtion nuorisoneuvosto. https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2020110489259
- Sihvonen, Ella, Valkendorff, Tiina (2020): Johdanto: Nuorten perhesuhteet nuorisotutkimuksen ja perhetutkimuksen risteyksessä. Teoksessa Valkendorff, Tiina, Sihvonen, Ella (toim.) Nuorten perhe- ja läheissuhteet. Nuorten elinolot vuosikirja 2020. Helsinki: Nuorisotutkimusverkosto & Terveyden ja hyvinvoinnin laitos & Valtion nuorisoneuvosto. https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2020110489259
- Valkendorff, Tiina, Sihvonen, Ella (toim.) (2020): Nuorten perhe- ja läheissuhteet. Nuorten elinolot vuosikirja 2020. Helsinki: Nuorisotutkimusverkosto & Terveyden ja hyvinvoinnin laitos & Valtion nuorisoneuvosto. https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2020110489259
- Sihvonen, Ella (2020): From family policy to parenting support. Parenting related anxiety in Finnish family support projects. Academic Dissertation. Publications of Faculty of Social Sciences 140, University of Helsinki. http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-951-51-3433-2
- Sihvonen, Ella (2020) Lectio: From family policy to parenting support. Nuorisotutkimus 3, 58–64.
- Miettinen, Anneli, Hakovirta, Mia, Saarikallio-Torp, Miia, Haapanen, Mari, Kurki, Paula, Kalliomaa-Puha, Laura, Sihvonen, Ella, Heinonen, Hanna-Mari, Kivistö, Netta (2020): Lasten vuoroasuminen ja sosiaaliturva: Vuoroasumisen nykytila ja merkitys etuus- ja palvelujärjestelmän kannalta. Valtioneuvoston selvitys- ja tutkimustoiminnan julkaisuja 51. Helsinki: Valtioneuvosto. http://www.urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-383-021-9
- Jauhiainen, Signe, Sihvonen, Ella, Räsänen, Tapio, Veilahti, Antti, Mikkola, Hennamari (2019): Asumista tukemassa. Yleinen asumistuki tuensaajien ja vuokranantajien näkökulmista ja eurooppalaisessa vertailussa. Sosiaali- ja terveysturvan tutkimuksia 155: Helsinki: Kela. http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe201902043938
- Sihvonen, Ella (2018): Parenting support policy in Finland: Responsibility and competence as key attributes of good parenting in parenting support projects. Social Policy and Society 3(17), 443–56. DOI: 10.1017/S1474746417000550
- Sihvonen, Ella (2018): Early interventionist parenting support: the case study of Finland. Families, Relationships and Societies 1(7), 123–39. DOI: 10.1332/204674316X14552878034703
- Sundsbø, Astrid, Sihvonen Ella (2018): Introduction: Parenting support in the Nordic countries: Is there a specific Nordic model? Thematic Section in Social, Policy and Society 3(17), 425–29. DOI: 10.1017/S1474746417000604
- Sihvonen, Ella (2016): Huoli kadonneesta vanhemmuudesta 2000-luvun suomalaisessa yhteiskunnassa: lasten kasvatus ja vastuullinen vanhemmuus. Kasvatus & Aika 10(5), 72–86.
Publications and research projects
Parental Agency and Social Resilience in Families During Unexpected Societal-Level Shocks: A Case Study of the Early Stage of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Coping strategies used by Finnish parents during the first wave of the COVID-19 lockdown.
The Effectiveness of Social Security in the Diverse and Changing Life Situations of Adolescents
The aim was to form an overall picture of the effectiveness of social security among adolescents in terms of income.
- hennamari mikkola
- tuija korpela
- matti rantanen
- miska simanainen
- antti teittinen
- marjo pyy-martikainen
- ella sihvonen
- tuomas sarparanta
- reeta pösö
- vesa ylönen
- research publications
- benefits for students
- social security
- housing benefits
- unemployment protection
- young people
- persons with disabilities
- social assistance
- unemployment benefits
- economic security
Social Security and Living Arrangements of Low-Income families: Final Report on LAPSOSET Project
Research project LAPSOSET has studied low-income families, social security benefits and their changes, effects of child care allowance, families living apart, and child maintenance.
Law and Family Diversity
This report examines legislative challenges in four contexts: in forming families, at the intersections of legal and de facto parenthood, in the structuring of everyday life in families with children, and in the social security system.
Parents’ income, child care and organising everyday life in divorced families - A continuation project of the shared residence project
The research project examines the organisation of child support and care after the parents’ divorce, and the related factors in Finnish divorced families.
The Effectiveness of Social Security in Different and Changing Life Situations of Adolescents
The research project collects and compares the social security of young people through system descriptions, statistics and microsimulation modelling.
Current State, Challenges and Future of Social Security for Children and Families: Final Report of the Working Group on Social Security and Services for Children and Families
The working group was tasked with examining the benefit system for children and families as a whole and producing information for the Social Security Committee on the need to reform the system.
Low Income and Social Security Benefits Among Families With Children (Lapsoset)
The aim of the research project is to produce new information on the livelihoods of families with children and to highlight options for how the livelihoods of low-income families with children could be further improved.
Law and Family Diversity
This study investigates the legal challenges faced by diverse families.
‘They are Alone in Their Parenthood’: Parenting Support and (Re)building Community
This article uniquely contributes to critical discussions about parenting support in contemporary social science research that has examined the recent political and public attention on parenting.
Other researchers
Share this article
