The essay examines how female politicians themselves experience their political path in regards to opportunities and obstacles. The questions of the essay revolve around this as well as if there are any differences in experience between politicians from the two Swedish parties Socialdemokraterna and Moderaterna. The two parties are chosen to represent traditional left and right ideologies. Quantitative measures are used to examine the female representation in Växjö kommun, which does not show a huge uneven amount of either men or women. Qualitative measures are used to examine ten female politicians’ personal experiences through personal interviews. After a comparison between the representatives of the two parties the conclusion is that they have all experienced both opportunities and obstacles, however in different ways.

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.