Systematical evaluation of job descriptions : Is that a way to achieve gender equality in the workplace? A qualitative study of a work evaluation project with an aim to improve the gender equality whithin a municipality.

The purpose of this degree project is to study a work evaluation project in a municipality, on the basis of key participants. The municipality is the employer, per-forming the workplace project and the chief objective is to reach gender equality between the employees. Equal pay for equal work. Through work evaluation is it pos-sible to find out which of a lot of different jobs, which have equal requirements. The jobs, which have equal requirements, should have equal pay. According to Swedish law, all employers need to analyse and survey their salary/wage distribution, to identify and remedy sexual discrimination concerning that area. One way to do that is to do a work evaluation and to study the result. Studying the result was what the municipality was doing, when got in contact with it. My focus is to find out what the central issues, problems and hinders are, or can occur when an employer is trying to follow the law. This study is based on qualitative research. The empirical material (interviews and ob-servations) from key participants, who took part in the project in the municipality, is presented through excerpts. They speak about different problems and other aspects they have experienced during the work process with the result from the evaluation project. The material is then analysed in the light of different theories. The theories treat areas as gender and organisation. For example is not al of the involved unions of the same opinion about the project. Money is one aspect that the key persons talk about and the circumstances around how to reach the goals of the project is another subject. The result of the study has shown that it could be useful within the project to have greater concern about the system of gender and to stronger point out the gains of ex-tended gender equality. Thou a lot of money are needed if equal pay for equal work should be reached, the gain in efficiency from the employed might compensate that