Is gender equality an utopia?

In September the Swedes goes to vote.  A topic of interest for me is the discussion around the tax reduction for household services like cleaning and wether it is a good thing for women or not. One take on it is that it is good because it creates jobs, and especially in a business that definitely exists but very few have been willing to pay full price and therefore it has been done in silence and outside of the tax system. The other take on it is that it is not helping women since it is mainly rich people who uses it and gets even more tax reductions.

But, if it creates jobs, isn’t that good? What did I miss?

In Sweden we have a deeprooted belief that a gender equal society is  abetter society. Meaning that men and women should ahve the same rights and possibilities to achieve their dreams. Amen – I agree to that.

But..how do we get there? There is talk about forcing companies to bring women onto the board. There is talk about making it law that the dad has to use a third of the parental leave, mom a third and then a third to share as they like. (The Swedish business magazine aimed at women, Passion for Business, had an article in the latest issue where they asked the political parties gender equality questions)

What happened to the right to choce then? To me it feels like adding medicine to get rid of the symptoms instead of looking at the root-cause. I have no easy answers but I believe that we need to change on an individual level to be more open and look at things clear-minded. And be accepting. Show the possibilities. But is it so wrong if a woman wants to stay at home with her children? To have a career as a wife and mother?

I want the right to chose for myself. Not to be given it by law. I want to become a boardmember on my own merits. I want to be given a job on my own merits. I do expect that the recruiter does so with an open mind and looks at the merits of the person, not the gender – or for that matter skincolor, name and so on. But here is where we need to do the groundwork. Create the opportunties, not force them.

But what do you think? Do you agree with me? If not I would very much like to hear what you think. Beacuse I have no answers but this is what I think with the knowledge and understanding I posses here and now. Maybe you will make me change my opinion? But that is then, my choice.