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Sweden stands out as a forerunner in the development of gender equality and family dynamics. To deepen the knowledge on power distribution and gender dynamics of couple relations, we investigate how women and men's childbearing intentions influence actual childbearing behavior. The Young Adult Panel Study (YAPS) has information on both partners' childbearing intentions in 2009, which we follow for five years with register data on childbearing. The results indicate that women's childbearing intentions are more important than men's intentions in determining actual childbirths.

It is a commonly held belief among sociologists that the 'Western' world is developing towards increased individualisation. According to this individualisation thesis, processes of individualisation are linked to the development of a risk society and have profound effects on family life. Drawing on 20 in-depth interviews, this article explores the transition to parenthood among couples who are presumably at the front of individualisation processes (university-educated urban people with highly skilled jobs in the information technology field). The aim is to show that risk was a central theme in relation to parenting in two ways that are both linked to individual autonomy and the couple relationship. First, the decision to have a baby was considered a risk project. It was minutely planned, not least to avoid the risk of divorce or separation. Second, the changes in everyday life that took place with the birth of the child represented new kinds of risk, associated with lack of time and a changing economy of care.

Not from love alone. Power and the division of housework.A recent Swedish study by Ahrne & Roman (1997) shows that married and cohabiting women often feel discontent with their male partner's contribution to housework, while married and cohabiting men commonly feel quite satisfied with the gendered division of housework. This indicates that spouses have different interests and preferences when negotiating the division of housework. The study also indicates that conflicts are frequent in households where the male partner's share of the housework is small or insignificant. The present article starts analysing such conflicts by applying an episodic concept of power, the argument being that men's satisfaction and women's discontent with a gendered division of housework, implies male domination. Bringing the concept of "gender order" into the analysis, it goes on to maintain that male marital power is best explained by men's greater access to economic and normative resources. Finally, it is argued that high levels of conflicts between spouses, while signs of male domination, also indicate the weakening of male power. Female economic independence, together with declining male authority, has created a situation of relative deprivation for women, i.e. increasing aspirations for equality, in a situation where most women still do the main part of housework. This situation explains not only high levels of conflicts between spouses, but also points to changing gender relations.

Family politics has been important in the development of the Swedish "women-friendly" and weak-breadwinner welfare state. This article analyzes the development of Swedish family politics during the past century by taking as its point of departure the amalgamation of political ambitions, social reforms, and ideas put forward by experts in government commissions. Results suggest that the social sciences played an important role in the making and shaping of Swedish family policy (i.e., that they functioned as "bridge discourses" mediating between the welfare state and social movements that challenged established boundaries between the private and the public sphere).

La conception selon laquelle il incombe à la femme d'assumer la responsabilité des enfants et du foyer, et à l'homme de les faire vivre, marque aujourd'hui le pas. À partir d'une enquête réalisée dans le cadre du Livre blanc sur la répartition du pouvoir et des ressources économiques entre hommes et femmes on examinera la façon dont l'appartenance sexuelle et les rapports de pouvoir influent sur les négociations entre conjoints, compte tenu des différences d'intérêts. Comme le montre cette étude, il est rare qu'en la matière il y ait véritablement égalité entre époux ou concubins, malgré les idées qui prévalent à ce propos chez l'un et l'autre sexe, même lorsque les femmes travaillent à temps complet (le partage est nettement plus équitable dans les jeunes couples sans enfant). L'explication de cette inégalité réside dans le poids des normes sexuées et dans les attentes différenciées liées aux rôles des parents. Il apparaît toutefois que les femmes disposant de ressources élevées en termes d'éducation, de revenus ou de statut professionnel rompent plus souvent avec ces normes et parviennent le mieux à imposer leurs exigences quant à la division du travail au sein du couple.

Gender equality is often seen as a hallmark of the Nordic countries. This book explores this notion by examining the meanings of gender that underpin policies in the Scandinavian welfare states, historically and today. The book focuses on three Scandinavian countries - Denmark, Norway and Sweden - and explores the policy reforms that have occurred relating to family and care. Beginning with the radical marriage reform carried through in all the three countries in the early decades of the 20th century, the book progresses to explore contemporary challenges to the traditional model of equality, including equal rights for fathers, multiculturalism and a critical young generation. The book focuses on differences as well as similarities between the countries and discusses the relevance of talking about a Nordic model. Stressing the importance of viewing the concept of equality in its historical context, the book critically investigates and discusses the Scandinavian 'success story' portrayed in normative political theory and presents an historical analysis of the development of gendered citizenship rights. It will be a valuable collection for researchers, lecturers and graduate students who work with historical and contemporary studies on welfare state and gender models from different disciplinary or interdisciplinary perspectives