The Housemaid Debate[1] or Maid Debate (Swedish: Pigdebatten) is a political discussion in Sweden, which began on 18 July 1993 when Swedish economist Anne-Marie Pålsson proposed tax deductions for household services.[2][3]
Many right-wing politicians supported the proposal, meaning it would reduce unreported employment. Many left-wing politicians instead expressed negative thoughts, meaning it would increase social class gaps using parallels to the time before the 1970s when many girls were employed to live-in and work for wealthier families. The discussion has later reappeared, especially during elections in Sweden.[4]
Tax deductions, so called RUT deductions for household services, were introduced in Sweden on 1 July 2007,[5] during the centre-right Reinfeldt cabinet.
References
edit- ^ Forsberg, Gunnel (1994). "Occupational Sex Segregation in a 'Woman-Friendly' Society—The Case of Sweden". Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space. 26 (8): 1235–1256. doi:10.1068/a261235. ISSN 0308-518X.
- ^ Paul O'Mahony (16 September 2010). "Maids in Sweden". Local. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
- ^ Elin Kvist; Maria Carbin; Hannele Harjunen. "Domestic Services or Maid" (PDF). Qung. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
- ^ Folket, 17 November 2001 - Köpa städhjälp eller inte debatteras på Faktorimuseet Archived 26 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Lovisa Sköld (2009). "Hushållsnära tjänster – mest för höginkomsttagare" (PDF) (in Swedish). Statistics Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 29 February 2012.