The Feminist Initiative (F!) experience is interesting for several reasons that can be summarized in two: the first one, because just the coming into life of a party that can imagine and demand total equality in the parliament is an effect of how far they have reached in the equality field in Sweden. The second one, because it shows that there is also an equality ceiling in Sweden, just in the top floor of the world equality building.
When F! came up into the public realm, all the other parties hurried up to say that they were feminist as well. And as a matter of fact, seen from other European countries, they are all immensely feminist. Further more, the system is immensely egalitarian.
Women are not trapped by the economic dependence on their husband's income, or forced to choose between paid work or motherhood. Social rights are based on citizenship. Every child is entitled to a public day-care centre, paid according to their parents income level, never more than 100€/month.
Resources to protect women from men's violence are huge, so that no woman is forced to keep on living with a violent man because she depends on his income. The public system welcomes you, defends you and supports you economically, as long as it helps you to find a job.
The Swedish alternative to fight against women's trade and prostitution is so effective that the number of prostitutes in Sweden is no more than 1,500. Even more, 80% of the Swedish population is in favour of the 1999 prostitution act which protects prostitutes as gender violence victims and criminalizes the client as an agresssor. To sum up, the status of women in Sweden is much more "equal" than anywhere else in the world. Can we ask for more?
Just a look at the most elementary data shows us that reality is not as "equal" as it looks. Income difference persists, women work part time and in the most unsecure jobs, they take care of children most of the time and they do most of the housework. Many of them have retirement pensions upon which it is difficult to live. As Gudrun Schyman says, "the system did not change in its patriarchal basis. Whereas women depend on men in other countries, in Sweden they depend on the public system".
The three goals that F! prioritizes are written on their best-known sign: ‘100% of the income, 50% of parental leaves and 0% violence’.
But those goals are basically shared by all the political parties. And they know how to implement them, as well. What happens is that the feminist debate looks exhausted. None of the traditional parties is talking about equality in this campaign, further than the rhetoric lines about it. There is not a single proposal to go deeper into equality. And, in Sweden, it is about time to take a jump into equality, a serious one, but it seems that there is no will for that. "Society is not ready", politicians say. However, thousands of people supporting F! seem to prove them wrong. They have left their old parties or they come fresh into politics for the first time, moved by this new political alternative.
Even women within traditional parties, who have been claiming more equality and the parental leave individualization reform for years have been silenced by the official leadership who does not want to discuss about these issues. Will these women vote F!?
The media, after writing extensively about all the scandals they could find about F!, are silent about them. The problem for F! now is that they need to remind people of their taking part in this campaign.
There is an equality ceiling affecting F! as well. They are hidden by this silence pact the establishment keeps about the newcomers.
But the wheel of history cannot be stopped. Sweden has got such a level of equality that many people can see how it will be to live in complete equality. Not only gender equality: F! talks about a society where power groups do not rule over the rest. In the medium and long term there is no doubt that this party will build up itself to a solid future. But now they need 4% of the ballot, the minimum required to enter parliament according to the Swedish law.
On 17th September we will see what happens. It is not easy, but we are all working for it.
Get the champagne bottles ready!
María
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