Unsolveable Problems: An Analysis of Maternity Leave in Public Discourse and through Governmental Governance

Abstract

Through a poststructuralist approach this thesis analyses the semantic history of the term ‘maternity leave’ in the Danish public debate from 2000 to 2020. The term's complexity is shown through Niklas Luhmann's system theory approach and the second order observation of distinctions. The semantic analysis uncovers how the term centers around different semantics in relation to care, coercion and economics. Through Luhmann`s concept of re-entry, we highlight paradoxes that arise regarding responsibility, freedom and an indeterminacy about sex and gender. Maternity leave has for a long time been an Achilles’ heel in the Danish discourse about gender equality. Danish mothers take on average almost ten times as long maternity leave as Danish fathers, and researchers have pointed to the uneven distribution as a reason for why women have advanced less than men in terms of their careers. The second part of the thesis analyzes the Danish government's campaign ‘Aktion Fars Orlov’ as an intervention and solution to this problem. Through Davies & Harrés positioning theory we investigate how the government connects to storylines about men and women, and how they consequently create subject positions. Furthermore we observe how the political management of the campaign is itself governed by existing public semantics. The way the public debate attributes meaning through different semantics thus has an influence on political governance. Through a Foucault inspired view on governance, we point out how the public debate and governmental initiatives can be viewed as different forms of power and ways of steering. In light of this view the thesis ends in a discussion about how public debate and governmental campaigns govern maternity leave and how it has different social consequences for women and men today.