The aim of this study is to examine how victims and perpetrators of honour-related violence are portrayed in discourses of Swedish administrative authorities who have a national mission to combat honour-related violence. Carol Bacchi’s what’s the problem represented to be is used as an analytical tool together with the concept of cultural and universalist speech. This is used to analyse the problem representations on which honour-related violence is based on, how victims and perpetrators of honor-related violence are portrayed and with what consequences. The analysis shows that there are three salient problem representations: “lack of knowledge”, “failed integration” and “inadequate cooperation”. The analysis also show how victims and perpetrators of honor-related violence are portrayed in both cultural speech and universalist speech in a complex and intertwined social construction.

By using a poststructural discourse analysis, this study aims to investigate how the Swedish Armed Forces formulates the preventive work against discrimination due to sexual orientation and transgender identity or expression. The aim is to also bring knowledge of how the preventive work affect the work environment and the possible consequences for LGBTQ-people within the organisation.  The method “What’s the problem represented to be” by Carol Bacchi is used to analyse the chosen material of policies and qualitative interviews to find out what shapes the preventive work, how it has come about and the effects on different groups in the organisation. Theoretical concepts as hegemonic masculinity, queer, heteronormativity, peripheral inclusion and homonationalism is used as theoretical frame and applied throughout the method. This study shows preventive work tend to focus on Pride and attitudes, rather than questioning structures within the organisation. As result, the heteronormativity and hegemonic masculinity within the organisation is not disrupted and LGB-people in the organisation still perceive homophobic tendencies as part of the work environment.

This study presents a critical discourse analysis of workplace health at the Swedish Church in Umeå. The analysis in this paper is based on Carol Bacchi‟s theoretical framework “What‟s the problem represented to be?”, which helps to build an insight on the common sense understanding that what we propose to do about something reveals what we think needs to change and hence what we think the „problem‟ is. The main area has been focused on (1) working hours and workload (2)competence transmission and (3) discrimination. The analysis of the policy documents shows that work hour and work load due an independent work enviroment for most of the professions in church, create an individual liability in relation to competence and qualification. It also reveals an assumption that the surrounding, a revival legacy where the Church of Umeå act, created a positive/affirmative action trough competence transmission between older vicars and younger female vicars to cope a long-term male dominated profession. The study also found that competence transmission between older and younger employees create an implied assumption of alack in competences among younger employees. To prevent discrimination a key concept was to promote good work relationships. That means through constructions of equality and gender equality. A possibly effect of the policy of equality, where it´s assumes that everybody has to take responsibility to prevent discrimination, but allows individual interpretations created a risk that the actions to whom it concerns fails. It also shows that the individual government was highly depending in the relations of power as the victim - violates and also in the relationship employee –employer as a junior partner or superior partner. / Syftet med denna uppsats att analysera hur framställningen av psykosocial arbetsmiljö är utformat i policydokument inom Svenska kyrkan i Umeå i relation till tidigare forskning. Analysen i uppsatsen baserar sig på Carol Lee Bacchis metod What´s the problem represented to be? som syftar till att ge en insikt av bakomliggande problem i policydokument och hur man ämnar förebygga arbetsrelaterad ohälsa. Utgångsläget var att studera det konkreta förslaget och utifrån det utläsa vad det egentliga ”problemet” är. Analysen resulterade i ett fokus på områdena för 1.) arbetstidens förläggning och arbetsbelastning, 2.) kunskapsöverföring och 3.) kränkande särbehandling. Studien fann att det förebyggande åtgärderna inom ramen för arbetstidens förläggning och arbetsbelastning utgår från att arbetsrelaterad ohälsa ska förebyggas genom arbetsgivarens ansvar för att arbetsbelastning och krav ligger i linje med medarbetarnas kompetens och förmågor. Flertalet yrken inom kyrkan förväntas själva kunna avgöra när arbetsinsatser är rimliga, varför det ändå kunde ses bli en individfråga huruvida arbetsbelastningen kan bli relaterad till kompetens och förmåga. Det återfanns även föreställningar om kön utifrån Umeå pastorats omgivning av väckelse arv som kan skapa en positiv särbehandling som diskurs genom kompetensöverföring mellan äldre och kvinnliga yngre präster för att hantera ett länge mansdominerat yrke. Studien fann även att ålder utifrån insatser om kompetensöverföring mellan yngre och äldre skapade en underförstådd föreställning om kunskapsbrist i relation till yngre medarbetare. Inom ramen för att motverka kränkande särbehandling blev nyckelkoncept som främjande av konstruktiva arbetsrelationer viktig. Det innebar att utifrån konstruktioner av jämlikhet och jämställdhet förebygga kränkande särbehandling. En effekt av policyn för jämlikhet där alla förväntas ta ansvar och att man tillåter egna tolkningar, riskerade att skapa en otydlighet till vem insatserna riktar sig till och där individe nblev produktivt styrande i maktrelationerna som den utsatte vs. den som kränker och som anställd i förhållande till arbetsgivaren.

This study investigates the discursive construction of masculinities of the Swedish Equality Agency. By using the WPR analysis strategy to examine underlying problematizations in the agency’s perspective on masculinity, the study seeks to generate an understanding of the direction in which the agency wishes masculinity to develop as a cultural phenomenon. The paper critiques that the new masculinity is primarily implicit and aims to make the new masculinity more explicit to enable proactivity. The study highlights the transition from an explicit masculinity to an implicit one and the effects of this ”implicitness”. The new masculinity is more implicit in terms of life advice, normativity, and ideals, making it more concealed and harder to follow, compared to a traditional masculinity and its values. The paper also explores the cultural ideal established by policy. The objectives primarily result in the ideals of everyone’s equal opportunities and rewards for studies and work, the sharing of household chores equally, and obtaining consent before engaging in anything that has to do with others bodily integrity. The reconstruction of masculinity can be seen as an attempt to insert cultural ideals into multiple masculinities or establish an upper masculinity, thus achieving a less polarized society. The study further explores the idea of that the current approach may be perceived to place more value on criticizing than implementing, making masculinity, like the problem of violence, reactive rather than a proactive factor. The concluding discussion suggests that masculinity is a tool, a frame of reference to relate to, and perhaps there is a need for guiding principles, commandments, and ideals to live up to. In the discussion I also suggest the implementation of the term ”submasculinity” to prevent holistic establishing and assemblage of negative aspects. The paper suggests in the concluding discussion that society can shape a new, explicit, and more identifiable masculinity and thus a meaningful, more explicit path to follow.

The disproportionate burden of covid-19 pandemic on racialized groups in developed countries has made socio-political and socio-economic inequalities even more apparent. This thesis utilizes critical race thoery (CRT), framing theory and the ”What’s the ’problem’ represented to be?”-approach to conduct a critical analysis of how the representation of the underlying causes of racial disparities in covid-19 mortality framed by the Swedish Public Health Agency. The published report on migrants and covid-19 ”Migrants and COVID-19 – Confirmed cases, ICU-cases and mortality from 13 March 2020 to 15 February 2021 among foreign-born in Sweden” is analyzed through qualitative content analysis. In the report, the Swedish Public Health Agency analyzes underlying causes to differences of covid-19 outcome based on country of birth, which suggests that the population born in other countries is affected by the covid-19 more than the population born in Sweden. The content analysis of the official document on foreign-borns and covid-19 mortality, released by the Swedish Public Health agency, suggests that the agency has represented the underlying causes of racial disparities in covid-19 mortality in Sweden with a socio-economic inequality frame, and from a CRT perspective, the representation is guided by colorblind ideology that does not problematize the role of racism in the society. The knowledge produced in this thesis aims to contribute to the field of CRT studies in Sweden with empirical knowledge about problematization of the covid-19 pandemic outcomes in Sweden

Internationally recognized for and culturally self-identifying as a gender equality advocate, Sweden has seen a recent uptick in popular support among women voters for its far-right nationalist political party, the Sweden Democrats (SD). While nationalist movements are primarily distinguished by their nativist political rhetoric, academic study has consistently shown that nationalism also consistently promotes a traditional gender duality while denouncing feminism and gender equality practices. Likewise, SD also consistently opposes feminist and gender equality practices in stark contrast with mainstream Swedish political parties. This qualitative discourse analysis collected, categorized, and analyzed recent Facebook posts circulated by the Sweden Democrat Women's Association (Sverigedemokraterna kvinnoförbund) leadership to identify why women (ostensibly) served by Swedish state feminism vote for and even join SD in a leadership capacity. By utilizing constructivist theoretical frameworks of social and cultural identity with a post-structural analytical methodology focusing on problem conception, representation and dissemination, the resulting analysis shows that the dominating discursive theme is practically summarized as: "(in)security." In short, SD women perceive Sweden's (equality) feminism as unrelatable, irrelevant and/or intrusive in an "everyday" existence framed by a rapidly changing Swedish society due to record immigration, increased economic insecurity, and a weakening welfare state. In closing, three prime research areas are identified for future study: image-based content analysis of SD's political messaging, increased incorporation of security frameworks in investigative writing, as well as broadened research into how Swedish equality feminism can best include two consistently detached societal clusters: native-Swedish conservative and non-Western immigrant women.

The natural capital approach (NCA) has increasingly become mainstream in environmental governance. This approach involves highlighting the economic value of the natural environment in order to make better informed decisions. Despite its mainstreaming and growing appeal, critical voices endure. These critiques frame natural capital in the context of global neoliberalisation, primarily focusing on its adverse implications for the Global South. By contrast, this thesis examines the role NCA has in a national, developed, Western setting – where the issues created by global power imbalances and neo-colonialism are less pertinent. The UK is at the forefront of NCA, with its 25 Year Environment Plan outlining its ambition to embed the approach into environmental decision-making. This thesis adopts a poststructural approach in order to examine the underlying assumptions, constructions, and moral framework of the UK’s NCA. It constitutes a policy analysis that employs the tools of the ‘What’s the Problem Represented to be?’ approach to three distinct sites of analysis - nature, instrumentation, and justice. Findings point to how NCA rests on a number of contingent assumptions, produces specific problematisations, subjects and objects, and ultimately derives from a presentism ethic.

Den 1 januari 2016 trädde en revidering av föräldraförsäkringen i kraft, där 90 dagar istället för 60 av de totalt 480 dagarna av föräldrapenning öronmärktes för respektive förälder som har gemensam vårdnad. Jämställdhet i kombination med föräldraledighet har varit ett ständigt aktualiserat ämne och jämställdhet i kombination med ett barnperspektiv är starkt betonat i den nuvarande upplagan av föräldraförsäkringen. Ett argument till att öronmärka fler dagar är att främja jämställdhet genom att öka manligt uttag av föräldrapenning, som trots en utjämning fortfarande domineras av kvinnor. Flera positiva effekter förutspås av en jämnare fördelning av uttag av föräldrapenning. Genom att män ökar sin närvaro i hemmet, frigörs kvinnors tid som kan ägnas åt arbete, vilket bidrar till ökad löneutveckling, karriärmöjligheter och pensionsstorlek. Studier indikerar dessutom ett samband mellan fäders föräldraledighet och en jämlikare fördelning av hushållssysslor. Denna logik förutsätts av att en kvinna delar sitt hushåll med någon, helst en man. År 2016 levde 12,4 procent av alla barn under 3 år med separerade biologiska föräldrar. Ensamstående mödrars tid i hemmet kan inte frigöras av någon på samma premisser som sammanboende par, därför kan uppdelningen av föräldraledighet bli problematisk. Denna uppsats syftar till att genom en WPR-analys av den senaste revideringen av föräldraförsäkringsreformen undersöka hur ensamstående mödrars situation reflekteras i jämställdhetsdiskursen. Studiens teoretiska ramverk inkluderar diskursiv institutionalism med syfte att studera hur jämställdhet som idé opererar inom institutionen – samt socialkonstruktivism som gör det möjligt att studera normers betydelse i produktionen av problem. Överlag är begreppet jämställdhet etablerat på premissen att kvinnor och män lever ihop i en tvåsamhet. Det finns kännedom om problematik kring föräldraledighet bland separerade föräldrar med gemensam vårdnad – en problematik som vidrörs men lämnas utan djupare analys. Frånvaron av ensamstående mödrars perspektiv i den nuvarande jämställdhetsstrategin i föräldraförsäkringen riskerar att ge allvarliga konsekvenser på ensamstående mödrars liv. Vad jämställdhetskonceptet i föräldraförsäkringen saknar är en fler dimensioner av analysnivåer däribland kvinnor som lever utan män. Att enbart utgå ifrån relationen mellan kvinnor och män är en för tunn grund att basera hållbara jämställdhetsåtgärder på.

The theme of this thesis is gender equality, and especially gender equality in school. The study assumes a poststructuralist position and aims to demonstrate how gender equality is problematized in the world of education. Through studies of documents and interviews with people in the school world, the representations of the gender equality problem were brought to light. A WPR-perspective helped in the process of revealing how gender equality is “made”. The material were reduced to three categories: gender roles, ethnicity, and knowledge. The research questions were based on Carol Bacchis WPR-perspective: 1) what is the problem with gender equality? 2) what assumptions underlie the problem? 3) What is left unproblematic? and 4) what are the effects? The result of the study shows that there are a lot of dichotomies in how gender equality is represented, but the primary representation is a matter of me/others. Through the problematization of boys (that is, students), culture (Swedish “equal” and non-Swedish, unequal “others”) and knowledge (unknowing, hence unequal other teachers) is the problem made someone else's and hence, ones own responsibility fails to represent the problem.

Organizations around the world increasingly publish voluntary sustainability reports. Stakeholders want more information than financial statements, and environmental and social concerns have grown in the past two decades. The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework for sustainability reporting is used by most organizations today. This is an analysis of the indicators in the GRI framework used to report on gender equality and diversity. I have used Carol Bacchi's method "What Is the "Problem" Represented to Be?" to discover how the "problems" of gender equality and diversity are presented in the framework and what effects those constructions of the problem might have.