Uppsatsen undersöker hur abortfrågan diskuterades på lokal nivå i Gävle i två kvinnoorganisationer av motsatt politisk ståndpunkt och drar paralleller till hur frågan diskuterades på nationell nivå under 1930-talet. Genom att studera källmaterialet mot bakgrund av ett teoretiskt ramverk förs även en diskussion om den moraliska synen på kvinnlig sexualitet och ogifta mödrar under den studerade perioden.

This research project examines how the housewives’ association in the small town Västervik operated to make women and housewives much stronger in their everyday life. The housewives’ association in Västervik arranged all kind of different activities, for example, presentations of various household products, studying and charity work. As previous research has stated, the association could not really influence those in power, even if they were represented in numerous boards and wanted to reform many aspects of the society. The association’s strength was their impact on the local society and that they meant a great deal to those who were involved in their communion. The analysis of the results indicated that the housewives’ association mainly wanted to establish the woman as a stereotypical maternal woman. Furthermore, the investigation showed that the association in Västervik reduced their activities between 1950 and 1978, and this can be related to the historical context of Sweden during this time period, for example, the changing role of women in the society.