Premium
Conceptualising Gender in a Swedish Context
Author(s) -
Lundqvist Åsa
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
gender and history
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.153
H-Index - 30
eISSN - 1468-0424
pISSN - 0953-5233
DOI - 10.1111/1468-0424.00165
Subject(s) - industrialisation , compromise , gainful employment , sociology , division of labour , welfare state , cohesion (chemistry) , politics , welfare , gender studies , context (archaeology) , gender relations , political science , social science , social psychology , law , psychology , job satisfaction , chemistry , organic chemistry , job attitude , job performance , paleontology , biology
This article tries to illuminate the political conceptualisation of gender in twentieth‐century Sweden. It is argued that the notion of gender is partly shaped through a conceptual similarity between an older societal structure with patriarchal principles, marked by a strong gender division of labour, called brukssamhällen (rural industrial communities) and the Swedish welfare state. The local ‘spirit of compromise’ of rural industrial community life survived the industrialisation as an idea, especially the ideas of inclusiveness and the importance of welfare for social cohesion, based on gainful employment. These ideas have also affected the conceptualisation of gender during the twentieth century. This development is brought to light in analyses made by feminist historians, specifically concerning the development of gender relations within the labour movement as well in the general debate.