Implications of an Incomplete Gender Revolution for Low-Resourced Single Mothers in Sweden

Abstract Gender equality in the labor market and family life has been a long-standing policy aim in Sweden, which has sought to solve this problem by promoting a dual-earner–dual-carer model. Drawing on seven focus group interviews with thirty-one low-resourced single and coupled parents, this study articulates a set of unintended consequences of this policy architecture for low-resourced single mothers. Swedish social policies are predicated on a perceived equal division of parenting, but checks to ensure equal parenting are few. When the division is highly unequal, single mothers are set back by policies that presume gender-equal parenting or do not adequately compensate for its absence. These insights highlight a paradox: policies designed to improve gender equality can unwittingly reinforce inequality when they overlook family diversity.