"Barnens bästa". En poststrukturalistisk studie av debatten om en individualiserad föräldraförsäkring.
Post-structuralismChildren's bestIndividualized parental insuranceLaclau & MouffeEmpty signifiersSocial sciencesSamhällsvetenskaperPolitical and administrative sciencesStatsvetenskapFörvaltningskunskapSocial SciencesLaw and Political Science
The thesis explores the meaning of the concept "children's best" in relation to the social Swedish parental insurance debate from a post-structuralist view. The main material has been taken from daily news papers and the methodological as well as theoretical basis is provided for by Laclau & Mouffes discourse theory. In particular has the concept "empty signifiers" been of use when investigating "children's best" as a strong argument on both the "pro" and "against" sides of the debate of an individualized parental insurance. The theoretic purpose of the thesis is also to examine the poststructuralist/feminist dilemma in order to approach a more pragmatic and useful model of the two combined provided by Alcoff and Fraser. One conclusion is that "children's best" may never have an objective answer and will be a changing concept in time, ideology preference and discoursive field. Another conclusion is that post-structuralism and feminism appears to be a lucky combination, however it is of importance to investigate one's theoretical background in order not to fall in any contradictory traps. The significance of the floating concept of what is best for our children indicates how hard the question of an individualized parental insurance is to handle.