Sweden's approach to gender and social equality

Sweden

Women's Second Shift: An Issue Deserving of Funds Allocation

According to official statements made by the government of Sweden, Gender equality is an issue addressed by the Ministry for Integration and Gender Equality, and is given high consideration by the government throughout the state. While some of the issues addressed by this agency are economic equality, power equality, and domestic violence, the area of "equal distribution of unpaid care and household work" is an important part of gender equality for Sweden ("Equality Between Men and Women in Sweden"). While the government claims to be addressing the issue, it is far from being solved.

Termed "Women's Second Shift" by many sociologists, a woman's need to work full-time, come home, and care for her family and house hold before she can relax is an issue being evaluated by many industrialized nations (Kucera). According to a 1999 article in the Cupertino Courier, most women who work jobs in addition to taking of minor children are the victims of stress. These results were similar for most industrialized nations. While an official statement from the Swedish government suggests that that the government desires "an equal distribution of unpaid care and household work," and some suggest that Sweden is "one of the countries with the greatest gender equality" based on their impressive hierarchy of gender equality ministries, the country must still make efforts to decrease the "second shift" ("Equality Between Men and Women in Sweden," "Gender Equality in Sweden"). Thus, this issue deserves an allocation of grant monies.

How Addressing the Issue and Allocating More to it Will Help Gender Equality

In the 1980s, landmark research suggested that in most households women are responsible for most of the child rearing and household work, whether or not they worked outside of the home. While the initial research was done with American families, other research suggested similar results for most industrialized nations (Kucera). Additionally, while research has suggested that Sweden is an industrialized country with a low percentage of women being responsible for the second shift -- only 70% of women say this -- the issue is still monumental in the country of Sweden (Mooney, Knox, and Schacht 214). The situation arose when women began going to work full-time during the 20th century, but remained in their roles as homemakers. It has continued because the gender roles are generational; studies suggest that boys and girls do equal amounts of household chores until the age of 18 (Mooney, Knox, and Schacht 214). Not only is this situation frustrating for women who must work twice as long, or sometimes longer, then men when they combine their responsibilities of employment and home maintenance, but also it becomes stressful for the women in each family. Improving this issue will increase gender equality because it will make men and women's roles in the home more equal, relieving the short-term effects of the situation, which is stress for the family's women, and long-term effects, which are divorce and decaying family relations. This issue is more important than others because it not only affects the gender roles in society, but it also has an impact on the stability of the family.

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