Atypical forms of employment became more widespread in Sweden during the 1980s and this resulted in increased flexibility in the labour market. This change mostly concerned the younger members of the population and now time spent doing an atypical job is even viewed as a typical stage in a career path. The growth of this form of employment also impacts women – so much so that many women stay in this kind of job for significantly long periods. At the same time, changes in the global state welfare policy approach in the 1990s meant that more focus was put on providing minimum coverage – an obstacle to the fight against inequality. It could thus be argued that this increasing tendency to foster and maintain flexibility of labour confirms Sweden’s move away from a welfare-based system towards a more insurance-based model.