Women in Sweden

Jessie Loy
Soc 202-02
4-5-13

In this article, the author was able to spend some time in Sweden with high priority figures. The author was able to spend time in the education system with teachers, met with the Ministry of Communications as well as met with members of Parliament. The one thing that stood out the most however was that most of these people, were women. Almost half of the seats in Parliament where women compared to the US Congress’s 18% of seats held by women. The author also goes on to say that there was more of a sense of community that shaped things like healthcare, education, housing and foreign aid. The sense of community is credited to the amount of women in high position jobs in Sweden, in the opinion of the author. 

I think this is a great step forward in the area of gender equality. Women are faced with various stereotypes of not being to preform on the job in the same manner as men. Women are constantly put down and made to feel inferior. We have come into a world where women are achieving academically on the same level or better as their male counterparts and are still put down. Here in the US I believe it has a great deal to do with pride and not wanting to let go of the White Male identity which has driven our part of the world for so long. Sweden has embraced the “Woman Power” and as a result, there are just as many high profile women as there are men. A common worry I, myself have heard is that women are moody and unstable and should not be in a position of authority because of this. Sweden has not only proven that is not a valid argument, but has also shown what a positive addition to government roles woman can be. Instead of looking at if from a negative point a view, women should be looked at for exactly what they are, a viable part of society. There is nothing to suggest that a women can not do a man’s job and Sweden has proven just that. 

http://blog.gmfus.org/2013/04/05/lessons-in-gender-equality-from-sweden/