Sweden is certainly better than many countries and much, much better than a lot of them. Still, they deal with vestiges of patriarchy that were mainstream a mere 50 years ago. Rape is still a huge problem in all of the Nordics and women are still expected to be the primary caretakers of home and children.
"A recent study found that almost one in 10 people in Sweden agreed that gender-based violence against women is often provoked by the victim herself. One survivor told Amnesty International: ”I even got that comment from my mother. She said ’I have always tried to teach you how to dress.’”
"Today, despite things like mandatory parental leave for both parents after the birth of a child in Norway and heavily subsidized childcare provisions across the region allowing more women to stay in the workforce, old gender roles linger. Women are still expected to be primary caregivers of children and the elderly and to care for the home. They are more likely to work in government jobs which offer more flexibility for that reason.
Many who can afford help choose not to, because there is a degree of stigma attached to outsourcing household chores in Scandinavia. Even the region’s most high-profile influencer and businesswoman, Isabella Löwengrip, faced criticism when she hired a personal assistant after divorcing her husband."
Still, it's something to work towards. At the end of the day, they are far, far ahead of the US on the equality spectrum.
