NORMALIZATION, LEADING LADIES, AND FREE MEN - AFFIRMATIVE ACTIONS IN SWEDEN AND AUSTRALIA

Most affirmative action programs assume, quite rightly, that labour ma rket strategies are needed to give women equal economic privileges to those accorded men. But where, one may ask, are the affirmative action strategies according men an equal place in the labour of child, famil y, and household care? Sweden's ''Free Men'' campaign is one such atte mpt, an indication that in Sweden the arbitrary boundary between paid and family work is being placed under considerable stress. I compare i t with two traditional approaches to affirmative action, one Australia n and one Swedish. The analysis suggests that if the current gendering and division of work and care is to be effectively challenged, femini sts may need to provide more accounts of the devices that serve advant ages to men.