New survey shows strong support for gender equality in Sweden

At the same time, the survey shows that women and men differ in their assessments of how gender-equal Sweden actually is, which problems remain and how extensive they are.

“Measuring attitudes towards gender equality in Sweden is complex. We have a strong national self-image of being a gender-equal country, while at the same time our reports show that several gender equality challenges remain unresolved. This affects how people interpret both the current situation and the need for change,” says Lise Tamm, Director General of the Swedish Gender Equality Agency.

The differences are particularly clear in views on whether Sweden has already achieved gender equality. A larger proportion of men than women agree that Sweden is gender-equal, while women are more likely to disagree with the statement. The differences are greatest among younger women and men, with young women more often believing that gender equality problems remain, while young men are more likely to perceive gender equality as already having been achieved.

“The results show that gender equality is not perceived as a niche issue, but as something that contributes to societal development as a whole. At the same time, women and men do not always view the current situation in the same way, which is important to take into account in future gender equality work,” says Lise Tamm.

The survey also shows that a majority of the population agrees that people in Sweden are discriminated against on the basis of gender and that women generally have to perform better than men in order to advance their careers. Here too, women are more likely than men to agree.

Strong consensus on the societal benefits of gender equality

The survey results show that support for gender equality is very broad across the population.

• Over 95 per cent agree to some extent that gender equality between women and men would lead to a better society for everyone.
• Over 90 per cent agree to some extent that gender equality would have a positive impact on a country’s economy.
• Over 90 per cent agree to some extent that gender equality would contribute to better health for everyone.

Women consistently express stronger agreement than men, although support among men is also high.

“Gender equality is widely perceived as something that benefits society as a whole, not only women or men individually,” says Selma Grans Norgren, investigator at the agency.

Majority want a more equal division of responsibility in the home

A large majority of the population agrees that men should take greater responsibility for family and household work than they do today, and 84 per cent believe that women and men are equally capable of providing care. At the same time, the results show that women express stronger agreement than men, while a larger proportion of men disagree with the statement.

The results point to an awareness that the division of responsibility in the home remains unequal, which is also confirmed by other statistics, for example regarding parental leave uptake and caring responsibilities.

“There is broad awareness that responsibility in the home is still unevenly distributed, even if opinions differ on the scale of the problem,” says Selma Grans Norgren.

Views on sexual harassment differ clearly between women and men 

The survey also reveals differences in how women and men respond to the statement that women use allegations of sexual harassment to take revenge on men. Women are far more likely to completely reject the statement, while men are more likely to partly agree.

The differences are particularly pronounced among young men, a larger proportion of whom fully agree with the statement compared with other groups. At the same time, young women are more likely to reject it.

“It is noteworthy that such a large proportion, particularly young men, agree with the statement, especially as research does not support the idea that false allegations of sexual offences are more common than false allegations of other crimes,” says Selma Grans Norgren.

However, 24 per cent responded that they did not know or had no opinion regarding the statement.

“The fact that such a large proportion chose the response options ‘don’t know’ or ‘no opinion’ may of course affect the size of point estimates, but the response patterns among women and men remain. Since the results are also similar to those from our 2019 survey, we feel confident in concluding that women are significantly more likely to reject the statement,” explains Selma Grans Norgren.

Intimate partner violence seen as a societal issue 

When it comes to intimate partner violence, however, there is almost complete consensus. Nearly everyone rejects the statement that intimate partner violence is a private matter that others should not interfere in. There are no clear gender differences in the responses.

“There is strong consensus that intimate partner violence is not a private matter. The fact that so many clearly reject that notion is significant. It is a fundamental prerequisite for violence to be identified, reported and prevented,” says Lise Tamm.

Different perceptions of how gender-equal Sweden is 

The survey also shows clear differences between women and men in views on whether Sweden has achieved gender equality. A larger proportion of men than women agree that Sweden is already gender-equal, while women are more likely to disagree and believe that gender equality problems remain.

At the same time, a majority agree that people in Sweden are discriminated against on the basis of gender and that women generally have to perform better than men in order to advance their careers, with women in particular agreeing with these statements.

“It is interesting that such a large proportion believe we have already achieved gender equality, while at the same time a majority clearly recognise that gender equality problems still exist. This is something we will examine in greater depth going forward,” concludes Selma Grans Norgren.