Women and the advanced welfare state – a new kind of patriarchal power?

Women’s position in society has changed fundamentally during the last twenty to twenty-five years, especially in those countries where welfare states have been most expansive. In this chapter we analyse the contradictory aspects of this process in Denmark. The Danish and Swedish welfare states belong to the most advanced in the world, and are often perceived as a model for other countries, particularly when it comes to the situation of women. We therefore find it important to analyse the Danish model focusing specifically on women’s situation.