Ideology and choice between work and care: Swedish family policy for working parents

The article examines the goals and ideologies of Swedish arrangements for parental leave and public child care for working parents. Two important goals are gender equality in work, and gender equality in family life and child welfare. It is argued that gender equality has been advanced to some extent as women have been able to integrate paid work into their lives. The choice of taking parental leave is, however, more conditional for men, and it is taken for granted that women take on the lion's share. It is concluded that the reform is more of a farsighted welfare policy for children than a policy for promoting gender equality.