After the heat of the battle
Gays and lesbians can now marry or register as partners in all the Nordic countries, with the exception of the Faroe Islands. Yet even within the gay movement there has been a long-standing resistance to marriage for same-sex couples. Read more
Child care – a site of struggle and compromise
The Nordic child care model is based on shared parental responsibility and comprehensive public provision of institutionalised pre-school care. Even so, the concept of a “Nordic model” is partially unfounded – at least as far as infants and toddlers are concerned. Despite the fact that Finland and Norway have similar child care provision in place for children under the age of three, societal attitudes and parents’ preferences differ. Finnish children are often looked after at home, while most parents of small children in Norway prefer day care institutions. Read more
House with designated au pair room
Busy and well-off middle class families get cheap domestic help from au pairs in order to have time both for family and careers. Supporters of the au pair scheme say this is an equality measure and a form of development aid. Its critics reply that it echoes neo-colonialism and social dumping. Read more
Nordic family policies – between quotas and freedom of choice
20 years ago, it was basically only the mother who took parental leave when families in the Nordic countries had a baby – but today the fathers have also entered the field. There are large variations in the division of parental leave between mothers and fathers, however, as is shown by new research. This also explains why Nordic politicians are continually adjusting the legislation in this area. Read more
The decline and fall of the nuclear family presents no menace to the couple norm
The good citizen is no longer necessarily married – nor heterosexual, for that matter – but he or she most likely lives in a long-term, stable and monogamous relationship, often including children. This is the outcome of the large EU research project FEMCIT which recently held its concluding conference. Read more
The family – a site of safety or oppression?
Women in the western part of the Nordic region depend heavily on family ties and romantic relationships as well as on the fact that the welfare system regards them as family members rather than individuals. Read more
What is women’s social citizenship made of?
How should different attitudes towards similar childcare arrangements in two Nordic countries be interpreted, and what have women’s movements got to do with it? These are questions studied in the research project FEMCIT. Read more
Mapping of fathers' use of paternity and parental leaves in the Nordic countries
There is a difference between fathers being on paternity leave at the same time as the mother is on leave and fathers being on parental leave alone. In studies about fathers on paternity leave it is important to distinguish between these two situations. Read more
Increased Parental Choice Can Lead to Reduced Gender Equality
Next year the Swedish Government will carry out two family policy reforms which some researchers regard as contradictory. With a so-called gender equality bonus the Government aims at getting more fathers to stay at home with their children. The introduction of a home care allowance might on the other hand result in mothers staying at home even longer than they do now. This is shown by research in the other Nordic countries. Read more
Gender Equality and Fertility
In the Nordic countries, women enjoy a high degree of participation in working life while at the same time giving birth to a relatively large number of children. This is often interpreted as indicating that the Nordic family policy model has high sustainability with respect to equal opportunities policy. With fertility rates close to the reproduction level, the Nordic countries are better prepared than most other western countries to meet the demographic challenges associated with low population growth and a rapidly aging population. More detailed analyses of the development of fertility patterns provide only conditional support for this assumption. There are signs that a higher level of acceptance of equally shared parenthood is also necessary in order to maintain a sustainable level of fertility. Read more
Towards a Family Equality Policy? The abandonment of the male bread winner family model
How have welfare policies in the Nordic countries been influenced by developments in the European Union? How have changes in the division of paid and unpaid labour between the sexes influenced welfare and family policy and led to changes in family formation? A team of researchers has analysed trends and changes in employment and family issues in eight northern European countries. Read more
Heterosexual Couples Talking about and "Doing" Gender
The Nordic countries consider themselves the most gender equal countries in the world. Nordic governments often promote Nordic gender equality as a unified image, featuring "new" men and women living the ideal gender equal life. This scenario forms the background for a Nordic study of gender equality practices and rhetoric, and its consequences at three societal levels: parliamentary party-politics, regional and local implementation of policies, and practices in nuclear families. Read more
