After Work: framtidens livsval

At the same time as working life is undergoing a fundamental transformation, birth rates are falling in large parts of the Western world. Countries such as South Korea, Italy, and Sweden are seeing historically low figures—but it is only in recent years that the question of why this is happening has begun to be taken seriously.

How are our living and working conditions linked to the desire, or ability, to have children? Is it a consequence of a working life where time, energy, and security are insufficient? Of economic uncertainty, climate anxiety, and social pressure? Or does this development reflect changing norms around family, relationships, and life choices?

As AI and automation open up new ways of working, new questions also arise. Can a changed working life create more space for relationships and family life—or does it risk reinforcing individualization and self-fulfillment at the expense of long-term commitments?

Based on the film After Work, we invite you to a film screening followed by a panel discussion exploring the relationship between work, having children, and what we really value in life.

Participants:
Nina Björk, author, literary scholar, and cultural writer
Roland Paulsen, sociologist and author, Lund University
Albin Zettervall, Labor Market Manager, Timbro
Moderator: Kristina Wiksell Bukhari, communications strategist at Arena Opinion and author of a forthcoming book on population issues
Introduction: Erik Gandini, director, researcher SKH
The talk is organized by Stockholm University of the Arts and Kulturhuset City Theatre, with funding from the Swedish Research Council.

About After Work
A large proportion of the jobs that exist today are at risk of disappearing in the near future. As technology and automation surpass human capacity, the opportunity arises to redefine the role of work in our lives. But are we ready for a surplus of time?

The film After Work is directed by Erik Gandini, professor of documentary film and researcher at Stockholm University of the Arts. The film was developed as part of the artistic research project Framtiden genom Samtiden(The Future Through the Present), which explored how art and sociology can evoke ideas about possible future scenarios beyond the obviousness of work. The project is a collaboration between Gandini, Roland Paulsen, and Jyoti Mistry, film professor at Valand, and is funded by the Swedish Research Council.