Swedish Gender Equality Policies Revisited: Resilient Legacy or Rising Contestation?

This paper investigates the evolving landscape of gender equality policy in Sweden, a country historically recognized as a global leader in this domain. Amid rising international trends of anti-gender rhetoric, nationalism, and security concerns, the study explores whether and how Sweden’s institutionalized commitment to gender equality— historically closely connected to welfare policy— has shifted over time. More specifically, we ask: (1) How have the support, content, and meaning of Swedish gender equality policy shifted over the past three decades?, (2) Are these shifts driven by global anti-gender movements or domestic crises and declining attention?, and (3) What role do populist radical right parties, particularly the Swedish Democrats (SD), play in shaping gender equality discourse? We rely on annual parliamentary committee reports on gender equality policy and the government’s budget priorities between 1994 and 2025. Theoretically, the paper contributes to an understanding of the interplay between institutional resilience, anti-genderism, and femonationalism, highlighting how these forces may co-exist or conflict within a context where gender equality policy has been highly institutionalized. Empirically, it offers updated insights into Sweden’s state feminism, gender policy trends, and actor engagement.