Several governmental investigations and reports indicate that women in politics do not have the same possibilities as men in Sweden, a country otherwise known for its generally high level of gender equality. This bachelor thesis is going to examine women’s politician’s perception of their own power and ability to influence the politics by interviewing seven fulltime regional politicians in a region in Sweden. The main questions that are analyzed are women's political issues and areas of responsibility, their access to political bodies and chairmanships and how they are respected and treated in their political role.  Via the lens of feminist institutionalism, the analysis shows that there are big differences in perception between the women that participated. Some feel that they have the same possibilities as men and are treated equal, while others feel like they are limited and disrespected due to men being the norm within the politics. Their experiences can therefore only partly be explained by the feminist institutionalism as there are other reasons that affect their perception on the issue. The conclusion is that women’s politician’s perception of their own power and ability to influence the politics in a region in Sweden are partly equal to men’s, and partly limited.

Abstract  The purpose of this study is to investigate the perceived power and influence of superintendents in relation to their state-appointed role in the Education Act, and the autonomy it provides. This qualitative study uses Foucault’s analysis of power as its theoretical framework. The empirical data collects through semi-structured interviews with in total thirteen superintendents employed by municipals or independent schoolboards. Superintendents employed by independent schoolboards have generally been under-researched previously and this makes this study an important contribution. The empirical data is analysed using three of Foucault’s concepts of power: governance, power and counter-power, and power and knowledge. The results indicate a notable variation in the perceptions of superintendents regarding their power and influence. The context in which they operate, as well as the ownership or operation of the schools, also plays a role for the superintendents´ perceptions of power and influence. The results indicates that superintendents have power and highlight a significant difference between the role of a superintendent in an independent organization compared to a superintendent working in a municipal organization. The superintendent employed by an independent schoolboard has a more defined and distinct role compared to a superintendent in a municipal schoolboard. Furthermore, the results indicates that the superintendent’s perception of their power and influence depends due to several factors in the surrounding society for example, voter groups, conservation interests, skills shortage, and unemployment.        Keywords  superintendent, schoolboard, educational leadership, school management, Foucault, power and influence / Sammanfattning  Syftet med denna studie är att öka förståelsen för vilken makt och vilket inflytande skolchefer uppfattar att de har kopplat till det statliga skolchefsuppdraget, samt vilket upplevt handlingsutrymme det ger. Studien har en kvalitativ ansats och bygger på kvalitativa intervjuer. Insamling av empiriska data sker genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med totalt tretton skolchefer för fristående och kommunala verksamheter. I studien deltar flera skolchefer från enskilda huvudmän vilka det finns lite forskning om sedan tidigare vilket ökar studiens relevans. Foucaults maktanalys används som teori i studien och analysen av empirin genomförs med hjälp av tre av Foucaults maktbegrepp; styrning, makt och motmakt och makt och kunskap. Resultatet visar att det är stor skillnad mellan hur de olika skolcheferna uppfattar sin makt och sitt inflytande. Dessutom visar resultatet på stor skillnad mellan skolchefens uppdrag hos en enskild huvudman jämfört med en kommunal huvudman. Skolchefen hos en enskild huvudman har ett mer avgränsat och tydligt uppdrag än vad en skolchef i en kommunal verksamhet har. Skolchefen har en betydelsefull roll, och deras uppfattning om sin makt, inflytande och därmed handlingsutrymme formas av flera faktorer i det omkringliggande samhället som till exempel väljargrupper, bevarandeintressen, kompetensbrist och arbetslöshet. Skolchefsrollen påverkas av skillnader i styrningen och organisering mellan olika huvudmän och det ställs olika förväntningar på skolchefen beroende av vilken huvudman som äger eller driver skolorna.        Nyckelord  skolchef, huvudman, skolstyrelse, styrning, Foucault, makt och inflytande