Before you leave...
Take 20% off your first order
20% off
Enter the code below at checkout to get 20% off your first order
Discover summer reading lists for all ages & interests!
Find Your Next Read

In this volume, Lena Sommestad explores the significance of rural womanhood in the formation of Sweden's gender-egalitarian welfare state in the early 20th century. Drawing on a rich array of documents, photographs, and interviews with women and men, she analyzes the changing gender division of labor in dairying and illuminates the dynamic processes and debates that shaped industrial workplaces. The book demonstrates the importance of rural women's gainful labor and organized activism to Sweden's citizenship-based social policies, which enabled married women to combine childrearing with breadwinning.
Lena Sommestad earned a PhD in Economic History from Uppsala University, where she also served as professor. In 2002 she went into politics, holding elected and appointed positions in the Swedish government. Her primary interests are in gender equality, sustainable development, and the social democratic model of the welfare state.
Grey Osterud holds a PhD in American Civilization from Brown University. In addition to working as an editor, she has written two books and numerous articles on farm women in 19th- and 20th-century New York and coedited a book on rural women's studies. Her recent work focuses on Scandinavia.
Thanks for subscribing!
This email has been registered!
Take 20% off your first order
Enter the code below at checkout to get 20% off your first order