ABSTRACT
In thinking about gender and citizenship in a multicultural context such as Europe, the sub-text of the chapter is to ask this question: what aspects of human existence do we think are important in assessing the extent of citizenship? Do we think about economic entitlements and economic access? Political representation? Legal entitlements? Of course we do-and we should. But how far do we think about other aspects of life which-I would argue-are also essential to effective citizenship? For instance, the absence or presence of violence in a person’s life? Or, how far do we consider the extent to which a person is subject to ageism in any given society-not only older persons but also younger ones? To what extent do we think about the experience of racism in a person’s daily life? And, most of all, how far do we think about the way all these kinds of factors impact upon one another over time and space in a people’s lived experience? Perhaps such issues have not received the attention they deserve in much mainstream literature on citizenship and welfare systems. In that context, this chapter may be seen as a way to interrogate what factors we consider are important when assessing human well-being and why? It does so by re-examining the record of some of those European countries which continue to be viewed as among the most welfare oriented in the world: the Nordic states.
