Äldreomsorg - en kvinnofråga? : En kvantitativ analys av kvinnorepresentationens påverkan på äldreomsorgens kvalitet

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this thesis is to examine in what ways female representation in municipal councils in Sweden has an influence on the quality of eldercare. The theory of the politics of presence constitutes the theoretical framework. The theory suggests that eldercare is one of several issues that are in women’s interest and hence is best represented by female politicians. According to Statistics Sweden (SCB), the elder part of the population will increase with 76 percent over the coming 20 years. It is a remarkable demographic change and, therefore, it is of interest to map out what influence female politicians have on eldercare as a political matter. To do this, statistical analysis, primarily multiple regression, is used as the methodological tool. The results indicate that female representation does not have a significant effect on the quality of eldercare. After controlling for institutional and structural variables, it appears that the portion of elderly amongst the population is what has the most evident effect on the quality of eldercare. Some final words are given on how to interpret the results, and when placing this study in relation to earlier research, it is however argued that there is not sufficient support to question the relevance of the theory of the politics of presence.