Yvonne Svanström

Yvonne Svanström, (born 1965), is an associate professor and head of the Department of Economic History at Stockholm University.

Career She earned her PhD in 2000, with a dissertation ("Policing Public Women. The Regulation of Prostitution in Stockholm") on prostitution in the 19th century.

An expanded and popularized version of her thesis was published in Swedish as "Offentliga kvinnor. Prostitution I Sverige 1812–1918".

Her subsequent work has examined Swedish prostitution policy through to the contemporary era, and comparisons with other European policy. Svanström's work is the main source of information on the history of prostitution in Sweden.

She is currently (as of 2026) researching the welfare state and labour market in Sweden.

Research projects To trade in Sex: Regulation, Liberalization or Criminalization? Prostitution Politics in Sweden 1930–2000. Riksbankens Jubileumsfond