. It was found that the relative number of women being gainfully employed has increased. Not only has the rate increased for women with teenagers or older children but also to a very great extent for women with small children. Today the woman, even a woman with small children, has improved identity, not only as a mother but also as a human being. The high employment rate is not only a reflection of financial needs but also the need for self-realization, self-identity and liberalization. The fertility rate, in a sense, has decreased and the fewer number of children born are born later in a woman’s life and during a shorter timespan. This means that many women in their twenties will finish their educational and occupational training and find a job with a ‘tenure position’ before they give birth to their first child. In order to keep their position in the labor market they take a leave of absence after the birth of the child, a leave of between seven and twelve months after which they return to work. As a general rule, society as a whole has over the last several decades made many attempts to equalize the gender-roles for men and women and even to change their content in various respects. Most Swedes who are active in child socialization activities seem to be very radical and argue for changes in the gender-roles towards equalization. Society demands and claims equality, which is bound to produce some kind of a norm conflict and a risk of deviation from the norm for teenagers and even young adults. Knowing that norms may be in opposition to one another does not have to mean a state of abnormality; it may mean simply taking a stand for one norm or the other.ReferencesHoem, Britta. (1995) The New Role of Women: Sweden. Colorado: Westview Press Inc.Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia. (1999). Sweden. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation.Trost, Jan, (1983) The Changing Position of Women in Family and Society: Sweden. ...
