Gender Equality
Articles on gender equality in chronological order.
Gender equality in war and peace
Positions of power are still being conquered for the first time by Nordic women. But the one position of power no woman has yet held is commander-in-chief.
Kristin Lund: No shortcuts to gender equality in the armed forces
Major General Kristin Lund from Norway is the UN’s first female commander of a peacekeeping force. She believes there will be a female commander-in-chief in one of the Nordic countries within four years.
Commander-in-chief only position of power not yet held by woman
There is only one position of power in the Nordic Labour Journal’s gender equality barometer which no woman has ever held in a Nordic country – the commander-in-chief for a country’s armed forces. And while women have been absent in war, they have been equally ignored in peace negotiations and peace keeping missions.
Defining Sweden's feminist foreign policy
Sweden’s feminist government wants to use its foreign policy to promote women’s and girl's rights, representation and resources based on the reality in which they live. What exactly a feminist foreign policy means is hard to define, but the perspective should permeate everything the foreign ministry and the diplomatic missions to.
A slight dip in gender equality in Nordic positions of power
Since last year’s barometer there has been a change of government in Finland and in Denmark. Both resulted in governments with fewer female ministers. As a result Nordic gender equality falls by three points to 64 points. Behind the seemingly slight loss, women particularly in Denmark are facing a real setback in the fight for power.
Three Swedish initiatives for increased gender equality
It calls itself ‘the world’s first feminist government’, and with three new initiatives the Swedish government shows it is living up to the name: A more equal occupational injury insurance system, a review of parental benefits to ensure it creates a more equal situation for both parents and finally there will be a strengthening of the discrimination act.
I am incredibly thankful for part time work!
35 year old Cecilie Enevold has gone part time in order to spend more time with her two small children. That was a difficult but correct decision, she says.
Danish parents want Swedish part time conditions
The Danish gender equality debate is on fire. A large majority of Danes think parents of small children should have a right to work part time, but the trade unions, the government and feminists disagree.
Iceland's Confederation of Labour turns 100 in a more equal labour market
ASÍ - the Icelandic Confederation of Labour - is 100 years old this year. The anniversary is being celebrated with music and conferences in four different locations in Iceland in March. During this anniversary year one authority, one organisation or one company will probably be certified for Iceland's new equal wage standard.
Finland’s Anne Berner: We must not loose the right to Nordic freedom of movement
It has been eight months since business woman Anne Berner became a minister in Finland’s new centre right Sipilä government. She plans to stay in politics for one term, which means she has no more than three years and four months to implement her plans. And she has her plans laid out.
Has EU gender equality policy lost its momentum?
Yes, reckons Finnish researcher Johanna Kantola. The EU Court of Justice, meanwhile, is having a positive impact through judgements which could also have major consequences in the Nordic region, according to Kirsten Ketscher, Professor of Social Security and Welfare at the University of Copenhagen.
Norway’s female boardroom quotas: what has been the effect?
Eight years after Norway introduced the law on gender equality in boardrooms, there are zero female CEOs in the country’s 60 largest companies. Mari Teigen and other researchers have written a book about why the boardroom quota system has had such a small “contagious” effect.
Editorial: More than pink — it’s about power
For the fifth year running the Nordic Labour Journal publishes the gender equality barometer. The division of power in the Nordic region is better than ever, but not across the board. This year we focus on religious societies, generally ruled by men. Nordic churches are different, with women as top bishops in Iceland, Norway and Sweden. But does power equal authority?
The Nordic region became a bit more equal this year
Never before has there been more gender equality in the Nordic countries when it comes to positions of power within politics and working life, according to the Nordic Labour Market’s barometer.
The importance of gender equality in religious societies
The really big symbolic changes sometimes happen without people noticing. The church in three of the five Nordic countries now has a woman as its highest leader. Compared to the rest of the world, this is where the Nordic region is now top when it comes to gender equality.
Agnes M. Sigurðardóttir: The Bishop who is spring cleaning the church
Bishop Agnes M. Sigurðardóttir has been sitting in her office in Laugavegur in Reykjavik city centre preparing the Sunday’s sermon in peace and quiet. Now she is sat facing me, answering my questions quietly and to the point. The first question goes straight to the point; what is it like being a bishop?
The latecomer in gender equality is waking up
Gender equality in Denmark has been falling behind the rest of the Nordic countries, both when it comes to female boardroom representation and paternity leave, but now things are moving forward.
Not all customers are white men
It is women who decide over most home purchases and their buying power is growing. Yet most products are created with men in mind. This is one of the reasons why Sweden’s innovation agency Vinnova’s has created a unique new program which focuses on norm-critical innovation.
Faith, gender and the Nordic region
Magdalena Andersson and Margot Wallström in Sweden’s feminist government lift the country’s position in this year’s gender equality barometer. We focus on the clergy, Danish boardrooms and Sweden’s drive for critical innovation with women in the lead.
Iceland: fewer take paternity leave
When Iceland introduced paid paternity leave in 2000 it was a huge success. New fathers welcomed the opportunity to stay at home with their children. But the trend has not continued, and fathers’ income opportunities have worsened. Families can no longer afford the cut in earnings.
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