Det motsägelsefulla arbetet med jämställdhetsintegrering

Abstract

This article discusses how the actors involved with integrating a gender perspective into mainstream organizational processes have to deal with many difficult-to-solve questions or dilemmas in their everyday work. The strategies used to implement gender mainstreaming rests on various and often contradictory understandings of gender, gender equality and change strategies. The article draws on two case studies in public organizations working with gender mainstreaming where qualitative interviews and reflection- and analysis- and reflection seminars have been conducted with actors involved in the project. The main aim of the article is to discuss an interactive research approach as a way to reflect on various understandings and underlying assumptions that different change strategies are based on. Theoretically the paper uses Michael Billig’s concept of ideological dilemmas as well as theories on gender equality, organizational change and interactive research. A central argument is that contradictions can be problematic if they are ignored but fruitful if used as a starting point for discussions about how future change strategies can be formed. Julia Nentwich’s notion of “playing around” is discussed as a way to reflect and develop strategies based on the specific dilemmas found in the cases studies. Different phases in the interactive approach is described and discussed; the problem orientation phase, the examination phase and the analysis- and reflection phase.