The Nordic Model of Gender Equality: The Welfare State, Patriarchy, and Unfinished Emancipation

Abstract

Compared with their Western counterparts, societies of Scandinavian or Nordic origins have been more committed to achieving equality and justice and are thus perceived to be more progressive. Although Nordic societies value gender equality and are even sometimes considered as ‘women-friendly societies’, scepticisms arise regarding how the Nordic model will persist even through the deep recession experienced during the early 1990s. Nordic countries are often deemed as universal welfare states and are believed to be not without social corporatism and Keynesian interventionism. Although this attribute seemed to have contributed to the economic success of these countries, this chapter examines the development of Nordic economies in the context of the labour market's gender equality through identifying the characteristics of the Nordic model of gender equality, and looking into the differences between countries particularly Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark.