Claeson challenges Urban Nyman over unpaid domestic work

Lawyer and commentator Linnéa Claeson challenged Urban Nyman over women’s unpaid work at home, asking whether he would support a partner for the rest of her life if they divorced. SVT reported the exchange on the programme Skavlan and Sweden.

Nyman, known from Married at First Sight, said he sees himself as a provider. Claeson argued that unless a woman is financially compensated for time spent at home, she risks losing money. “Otherwise, she has lost money by being your housewife,” she said.

The programme discussed how equality at home can work and the often unseen household tasks women take responsibility for. A summary by the Swedish Gender Equality Agency of statistics from, among others, the Social Insurance Agency and Statistics Sweden says women are more likely to work part-time when their children are young and more likely than men to claim compensation for caring for a sick child.

Magazine publisher Amelia Adamo said women also need to let men take responsibility. “If the child has two right-hand mittens at daycare, it’s not the end of the world,” she said.

Nyman questioned whether household work should be compensated through a “transactional relationship,” saying it sounded unappealing and asking how such work could be measured. Claeson said women who work less have lower pay, smaller pensions and less freedom.

The full programme is available on SVT Play on Thursday at 15:00 and on SVT1 on Friday at 21:00.