Wellbeing and Gender Equality for the Elderly in the Context of Arctic Sweden

Abstract

One theme of importance for gender equality in the Arctic region is the wellbeing of the aging population and how their needs are provided for in private and public spheres – by the family, local communities, the state and the market. In this article, the complexity of the public and private division of welfare provision and care of the elderly in the Swedish Arctic context is addressed and discussed in the light of national, regional and international policy and law. Norrbotten, the northernmost county in Sweden that is part of the Barents Euro-Arctic region, is taken as a frame of reference for critical reflection on wellbeing and gender equality for the ageing population in rural, depopulated and multicultural contexts and the need to develop alternative political and legal interventions that are better adjusted to meet the everyday needs in this specific setting.