Regional variations in the gender contract: Gendered relations in labour markets, local politics and everyday life in Swedish regions1

Abstract

This article delineates the spatial variations in the gender contract in Sweden. Within the framework of any national gender contract there can be substantial regional variations. By mapping regional variations in gender relations, three different gender contracts are identified in different regions in Sweden. The traditional gender contract is prevalent in forestry and industrial areas, where labour market segregation is high, where women play a small role in political life and where social infrastructure is largely provided in families. In contrast in the modernized gender contract of the metropolitan areas, especially in the Stockholm region, labour market segregation is less and women are relatively well integrated in public life. These regions are dominated by the service sector. This kind of region, where the genders are more equal and where the social infrastructure is more provided by public institutions, can also be labelled ‘escalator regions’ for women. Finally, in some peripheral and rural areas the gender contract is non‐traditional. The economic base is traditional but the gender relations are more equal (in politics, labour market and everyday life) than in other traditional regions. These are also regions undergoing economic and social transformation.