Dual Breadwinner Societies: Provider Models in the Scandinavian Welfare States

Abstract

To what extent has the traditional male provider model shifted towards a model of equal economic partnership in the Scandinavian welfare states, and how can current social practices and attitudes be explained? In contrast to much recent welfare state research, this article emphasizes differences within Scandinavia, arguing that national structural, cultural and political configurations have contributed to differences among the Scandinavian welfare states in the transition toward gender equality in economic provision.