ABSTRACT
The typical North American suburb with its single-family homes and its dependence on the automobile for transportation to work, stores, and so forth—described by William H. Whyte and Herbert Gans—has its counterpart in a completely different type of suburban development in Sweden. The preliminary results of an anthropological research project presented are intended to throw light on the conditions and lives of women in this new type of Swedish suburban housing. The newer area is located south of Stockholm in Botkyrka commune and also includes, apart from single-family houses, some multifamily high rises and garden apartments. The social background of the women was more varied in Sollentuna than in Botkyrka. The social and economic advancement of the family is dependent on the performance of the men, while the women mainly work to get some stimulation outside the home and to “improve” the family economy.
