Närvarande och frånvarande fäder

Intersektionella perspektiv på jämställdhetsstrategier i svensk mödravård

Abstract

This article examines how ethnicity is articulated in relation to gender mainstreaming in maternity care in Sweden, and how this affects the treatment of the parents-to-be. It draws on interviews and observations with midwives, physicians, psychologists and counsellors at four maternity clinics in different regions of Sweden. While the aim of being gender equal and inclusive forms part of the institutional self-image, the study shows that this ambition is not realised at the everyday level. At the clinics, gender mainstreaming is equated with encouraging partners/men to be present and engaged during pregnancy. However, using intersectionality as an analytical framework, we show that depending on ethnic background, men’s presence and involvement are understood both as an expression and as a failure of gender equality, mirroring racialized conceptions of different masculinities and femininities. In conclusion, we argue that to be successful, gender mainstreaming strategies to increase the inclusion of partners/men in maternity health care need to take racialized discourses into account and adopt an intersectional approach.