Gender (In)Equality, European Integration and the Transition of Swedish Corporatism

This article presents data on the development of women’s representation in social partner organizations and corporatist arrangements in Sweden. It analyses changes in corporatist arrangements and the emergence of a European ‘corporatist policy community’. What are the implications for gender equality if corporatism moves from the national level to the EU level? The article shows that it is usually harder for women to gain access to corporatist arrangements than to directly elected bodies. The mechanisms behind this are related to the openness and transparency of the institution. The more democratic and the more open an institution is to criticism and scrutiny by citizens, voters, members, media, etc., the more women we .nd. Usually, corporatist arrangements based on organized interests are more closed, exclusionary and discriminatory against women than the more open electoral/parliamentary system. The article concludes that the fact that we now might see a new form of corporatism at EU level could lead to a situation where some of the gains women have won in the national arena are lost in the European arena.