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. It focuses on three Scandinavian countries - Denmark, Norway and Sweden - and explores the policy reforms that have occurred relating to family and care.

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.

Introduction: A Nordic model of gender equality? & Kari Melby, Christina Wetterberg and Anna-Birte Ravn
Part one: Meanings of gender equality in Scandinavian welfare policy: Woman-friendly policy paradoxes? Childcare policies and gender equality visions in Scandinavia & Anette Borchorst
The claim of economic citizenship: the concept of equality in a historical context & Christina Carlsson Wetterberg and Kari Melby
Married women's right to pay taxes: debates on gender, economic citizenship, and tax law reform in Denmark, 1945-83 & Anna-Birte Ravn
Family policy between science and politics & Asa Lundqvist
Academic discourse, social policy and the construction of new families & Christine Roman
Part two: Current challenges: competing discourses on gender equality: The 'new father': gender equality as discursive resource for family policies & Trine Annfelt
From powerful to powerless fathers: gender equality in family policies on parenthood & Charlotte Andersen and Anna-Birte Ravn
Dilemmas of citizenship: tensions between gender equality and respect for diversity in the Danish welfare state & Birte Siim
Women friendly?: Understanding gendered racism in Sweden & Diana Mulinari
Young women's attitudes towards feminism and gender equality & Ann-Dorte Christensen
A Scandinavian feminist public sphere: discourses on feminism and gender equality & Christina Fiig
Postscript: Gender, citizenship and social justice in the Nordic welfare states: a view from the outside & Ruth Lister
Postscript: Future research on gender equality in the Scandinavian countries & Keith Pringle