‘I feel there is plenty of time for me’
Louise Dolck Stromberg, 51, from Lund in Sweden, has always earned more than her husband There’s a much more positive attitude and far less sexism
Sweden is a very good place to live if you’re a woman. I’ve worked in many other countries and it’s definitely different: there’s a much more positive attitude here and far less sexism and less ageism. I’m HR director of a big tech company, Axis, and I feel visible and valued for my experience by my colleagues.
I have a son aged 23 and a daughter aged 19. I’ve always worked full time, but I took a year off work when I had my son, and 10 months when I had my daughter, and I don’t feel there was any slow down in my career as a result. Sweden has been ahead for a long time on shared parenting and childcare, so I felt well supported and was able to enjoy the time with my young children without worrying that it would upset my working life.
I earn in the higher range compared with both female and male colleagues, and I’ve always earned more than my husband – but that’s not very common yet.
I love what I do, and I expect to go on working into my 60s, and then I’ll do consultancy work. I have a good pension, and don’t worry about money in the future.
My husband, Hans, has always shared the childcare: he would pick our kids up from nursery. He’s a teacher, so it was sometimes easier for him to do it than me; but also, he wanted to share parenting and that’s very normal here – it’s what most fathers do. In terms of the house, I’d say we look after it 50:50: we have a cleaner, we get our groceries delivered, Hans does all the cooking and I take care of the laundry. This isn’t typical in Sweden; I’d say we were early adopters of sharing the household duties, though it’s becoming more common.
My daughter, Linnea, is still at home. She’s working and preparing to go travelling. Felix, my son, is a student and has his own flat, which we helped him buy. We are supporting both our children financially.
I feel there’s plenty of time for me: I go to the gym, I travel with my girlfriends, I read books. I like being well-dressed and I like to take care of my body and my health. I’m feeling the happiness of this stage of my life – so often when we think of being older there’s a negativity, but there’s so much to appreciate.