Gender equality has been a debated subject in the political discourse for decades. During this time the view of equality have been constantly changing but the definition of gender equality remains the same, equal rights for equal sexes. The constant changes in our view of equality effects how we view those rights, which rights that are regarded of upmost importance and which rights that are simply taken for granted. Consequently, it affects what we as a society view as a problem and what we view as a solution.

In 2013 the Swedish government gave an assignment for gender mainstreaming in public sectors and this essay aims to study how that assignment is creating the way public sectors view gender equality. This essay is primarily focused on The Swedish Prison and Probation Service because it is considered to be one of the most unbalanced public sector when it comes to gender. By studying how such an unbalanced public sector is working to create gender equality it gives the study a new view on how the assignment is interpreted rather then if the study focused on a sector with a balanced clientele.

By using Carol Bacchis ”What’s the problem represented to be?” the goals and solutions for gender mainstreaming in The Swedish Prison and Probation Service is studied and analyzed. By analyzing what the assignment is trying to solve, we can understand how the way we formulate the problem is governing us.