Exploring The Challenges Of Gender Mainstreaming In Public Administration
(2024) Conference of the European Sociological Association (ESA)- Abstract
- This paper investigates the challenges of gender mainstreaming in Swedish municipalities, with a focus on the initial implementation. Since the mid-1990s, gender mainstreaming has been the prevailing strategy within Swedish authorities and public administration to increase gender equality in society. In simple terms, this means that a gender equality perspective must be integrated into all decisions and at all levels in order to ensure an equal provision of welfare to all citizens. Still, many gender equality challenges remain, which may call into question the effectiveness of the strategy. In Sweden, the discourse of gender equality is strong and organizations in both the public sector and the business sector are expected to work actively... (More)
- This paper investigates the challenges of gender mainstreaming in Swedish municipalities, with a focus on the initial implementation. Since the mid-1990s, gender mainstreaming has been the prevailing strategy within Swedish authorities and public administration to increase gender equality in society. In simple terms, this means that a gender equality perspective must be integrated into all decisions and at all levels in order to ensure an equal provision of welfare to all citizens. Still, many gender equality challenges remain, which may call into question the effectiveness of the strategy. In Sweden, the discourse of gender equality is strong and organizations in both the public sector and the business sector are expected to work actively on gender equality, to maintain organizational legitimacy. However, critical researchers argue that extensive changes have not taken place and that the strategy of gender mainstreaming has contributed to the bureaucratization of gender equality work.
The study is based on 20 semi-structured interviews with officials, managers and politicians involved in gender mainstreaming in a Swedish municipality, document analyses and participant observations. Drawing on the concept of decoupling, from institutional theory in organizational studies, this paper aims at understanding initial implementing gender mainstreaming. Through the analytical notion of the occurring talk, decisions and actions, this study analyses how actors in different parts of the municipality value and act in relation to gender equality and gender mainstreaming. The paper demonstrates how officials uses different strategies to move forward with gender mainstreaming, despite a lack of interest or priority from other groups. (Less) - Abstract (Swedish)
- This paper investigates the challenges of gender mainstreaming in Swedish municipalities, with a focus on the initial implementation. Since the mid-1990s, gender mainstreaming has been the prevailing strategy within Swedish authorities and public administration to increase gender equality in society. In simple terms, this means that a gender equality perspective must be integrated into all decisions and at all levels in order to ensure an equal provision of welfare to all citizens. Still, many gender equality challenges remain, which may call into question the effectiveness of the strategy. In Sweden, the discourse of gender equality is strong and organizations in both the public sector and the business sector are expected to work actively... (More)
- This paper investigates the challenges of gender mainstreaming in Swedish municipalities, with a focus on the initial implementation. Since the mid-1990s, gender mainstreaming has been the prevailing strategy within Swedish authorities and public administration to increase gender equality in society. In simple terms, this means that a gender equality perspective must be integrated into all decisions and at all levels in order to ensure an equal provision of welfare to all citizens. Still, many gender equality challenges remain, which may call into question the effectiveness of the strategy. In Sweden, the discourse of gender equality is strong and organizations in both the public sector and the business sector are expected to work actively on gender equality, to maintain organizational legitimacy. However, critical researchers argue that extensive changes have not taken place and that the strategy of gender mainstreaming has contributed to the bureaucratization of gender equality work.
The study is based on 20 semi-structured interviews with officials, managers and politicians involved in gender mainstreaming in a Swedish municipality, document analyses and participant observations. Drawing on the concept of decoupling, from institutional theory in organizational studies, this paper aims at understanding initial implementing gender mainstreaming. Through the analytical notion of the occurring talk, decisions and actions, this study analyses how actors in different parts of the municipality value and act in relation to gender equality and gender mainstreaming. The paper demonstrates how officials uses different strategies to move forward with gender mainstreaming, despite a lack of interest or priority from other groups. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/e0cc485e-1292-46d5-a9fe-413710bcd2df
- author
- Espersson, Malin LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2024-07-18
- type
- Contribution to conference
- publication status
- published
- subject
- conference name
- Conference of the European Sociological Association (ESA)
- conference location
- Porto, Portugal
- conference dates
- 2024-08-27 - 2024-08-30
- project
- Jämställdhetsintegrering - från en byråkratisk process till ett "görande" som skapar reella skillnader
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- e0cc485e-1292-46d5-a9fe-413710bcd2df
- date added to LUP
- 2024-08-13 11:08:00
- date last changed
- 2024-08-21 08:55:14
@misc{e0cc485e-1292-46d5-a9fe-413710bcd2df,
abstract = {{This paper investigates the challenges of gender mainstreaming in Swedish municipalities, with a focus on the initial implementation. Since the mid-1990s, gender mainstreaming has been the prevailing strategy within Swedish authorities and public administration to increase gender equality in society. In simple terms, this means that a gender equality perspective must be integrated into all decisions and at all levels in order to ensure an equal provision of welfare to all citizens. Still, many gender equality challenges remain, which may call into question the effectiveness of the strategy. In Sweden, the discourse of gender equality is strong and organizations in both the public sector and the business sector are expected to work actively on gender equality, to maintain organizational legitimacy. However, critical researchers argue that extensive changes have not taken place and that the strategy of gender mainstreaming has contributed to the bureaucratization of gender equality work.<br/><br/>The study is based on 20 semi-structured interviews with officials, managers and politicians involved in gender mainstreaming in a Swedish municipality, document analyses and participant observations. Drawing on the concept of decoupling, from institutional theory in organizational studies, this paper aims at understanding initial implementing gender mainstreaming. Through the analytical notion of the occurring talk, decisions and actions, this study analyses how actors in different parts of the municipality value and act in relation to gender equality and gender mainstreaming. The paper demonstrates how officials uses different strategies to move forward with gender mainstreaming, despite a lack of interest or priority from other groups.}},
author = {{Espersson, Malin}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{07}},
title = {{Exploring The Challenges Of Gender Mainstreaming In Public Administration}},
year = {{2024}},
}