Den oproblimatiserade mannen

Abstract This study is about how Swedish politics discuss gender inequality in Sweden and how gender inequality is conceived trough this debate. The focus of the study is to see how the perception of the male gender is formed throughout this debate and how the Swedish gender inequality debate relates to the conception of masculinity. I draw on the political parties’ official programs to gain insight into how the political field construct gender inequality and how masculinity is represented in relation to gender inequality. The method I used for analyzing my qualitative data was critical discourse analysis, developed by Norman Fairclough and Lilie Chouliaraki. Theoretically, the study is based on the work of R.W Connell, Pierre Bourdieu, and Charles Taylor. The theories I chosen all emphasize the importance of language on the formation of social realities. My conclusion is that in the political parties’ discourse of gender inequality the complex issues on the subject of gender were not being addressed. My analysis disclosed that the issue of masculinities was neglected in comparison to the female gender role, and that the political rhetoric does not attend to masculinities in plural. My study showed the problematic issue of generalising such diverse and large group of people such as male and female collectivities, and proved that the fixating on the gender variable were problematic as other variables are excluded, such as socio-economic variables.This study is about how Swedish politics discuss gender inequality in Sweden and how gender inequality is conceived trough this debate. The focus of the study is to see how the perception of the male gender is formed throughout this debate and how the Swedish gender inequality debate relates to the conception of masculinity. I draw on the political parties’ official programs to gain insight into how the political field construct gender inequality and how masculinity is represented in relation to gender inequality. The method I used for analyzing my qualitative data was critical discourse analysis, developed by Norman Fairclough and Lilie Chouliaraki. Theoretically, the study is based on the work of R.W Connell, Pierre Bourdieu, and Charles Taylor. The theories I chosen all emphasize the importance of language on the formation of social realities. My conclusion is that in the political parties’ discourse of gender inequality the complex issues on the subject of gender were not being addressed. My analysis disclosed that the issue of masculinities was neglected in comparison to the female gender role, and that the political rhetoric does not attend to masculinities in plural. My study showed the problematic issue of generalising such diverse and large group of people such as male and female collectivities, and proved that the fixating on the gender variable were problematic as other variables are excluded, such as socio-economic variables