Gender, careers, and democratic representation

Political reforms affect people differently, depending on their social status and their gender. Wallenberg Academy Fellow Johanna Rickne will investigate the concrete effects that a number of societal changes have had on equality, both on the labor market and in the political system.

Affirmative action for women may lead to higher competence among men. This was recently demonstrated by Associate Professor Johanna Rickne from Stockholm University and her colleagues after studying the effect of the Swedish Social Democratic Party’s decision that every other person on their ballots should be a woman.

Johanna Rickne will now continue to investigate the actual effects of various political reforms and societal changes. For example, how has the tax deduction for household services affected business and employment among people with high and low incomes, and what has it meant for the integration of immigrants? How have state demands for equality plans and salary surveys affected businesses’ equality work? How is the risk of divorce influenced by the woman or man in a marriage having a career? How have Sweden’s unique equality norms developed?

Another element of the project is to survey the connections between areas in which municipal politicians live and the areas in which the municipality invests in schools, sports arenas, parks or rental accommodation. To understand how people are recruited to politics, Johanna Rickne will also study the role of personal traits.

Foto: Marcus Marcetic