PhD defence by William Østerby Sørensen
This dissertation examines the so-called Nordic Paradox : the observation that women in the Scandinavian member states of the European Union report some of the highest prevalence of violence against women (VAW) in comparative surveys, despite these countries also ranking among the most gender-equal societies in Europe. The thesis argues that understanding this pattern requires complementing existing explanations centred on differences in exposure to violence with greater attention to the historical and institutional processes through which experiences become recognised, interpreted, disclosed, and recorded.
The study combines survey and administrative data with legal and policy documents and interviews with frontline practitioners, integrating these materials through a historical–institutional and constructivist research design. With Denmark and Italy as case countries, the thesis examines how institutional definitions of VAW have evolved from the 1970s to the present and how dominant national conceptualisations relate to reporting practices.
The analysis shows that Denmark has developed a gender-neutral and inclusive governance framework in which violence and conflict are understood as part of a continuum. Within this framework, conflictual situations and violent experiences are placed along the s ame spectrum of relational harm. This lowers institutional thresholds for recognition and disclosure, contributing to higher reported prevalence while situating violence primarily within relational and situational contexts rather than structural gender inequality. Italy, by contrast, relies on more categorical and gender-specific frameworks that draw a sharper distinction between violence and conflict. Grounded in feminist ethics and institutional protocols, this model maintains a clearer conceptual link between VAW and gendered power asymmetry but narrows pathways to recognition.
The findings challenge quantitative interpretations of the Nordic Paradox and call for context-sensitive approaches to measuring and interpreting VAW, especially the central role of institutions in shaping what becomes visible as violence.
William Østerby Sørensen is a comparative socio-historical researcher working at the intersection of sociology and political science. His research focuses on violence against women and domestic violence and abuse, combining two complementary research agendas. The first examines how violence is conceptualised, defined, and measured across countries and over time, including the implications of changing concepts for survey data, administrative statistics, and comparative research. The second explores how societies govern and respond to violence in practice through public policy, legal frameworks, welfare institutions, social work, and civil society organisations.
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