Gender and Power in Families and Family Policies Sweden in the Nordic Context

Over the last fifty years, the Nordic countries have been engaged in systematic efforts to modernize the conditions for families, providing what is frequently viewed as good examples of cases where gender equality has been achieved through conscious institutional intervention. The path to gender equality at work, in the labour market, and in families, however, continues to be strewn with obstacles that need to be overcome before the ambitions behind the equality goals can become reality. The future prospects of the "Nordic model" of gender equality more broadly, too, remain uncertain in the current political climate. The analysis of current trends in the region yields a mixed picture of backlash and progression that complicates the question of gender equality in both families and the labour market.