Gender Equality
Articles on gender equality in chronological order.
Working con amore
After fifteen years in Italy, it feels wonderful to be taken on the wings of the Scandinavian labour market. Not under! That's the whole point.
Wanja Lundby-Wedin - favours security in change
She is the president of LO - Sweden, the Council of Nordic Trade Unions and of the European Trade Union Confederation. Wanja Lundby-Wedin represents the employees of all of Europe. “As their representative of course I have power. That is just how it should be”, she says.
Striking the right work-life balance
There's a lot of focus on finding a balance between work and private life these days. Despite all the good intentions, it is hard to imagine real change will come about before we seriously address the difficulties in getting the right mix of family and working life.
Things to do on holiday
"How was your holiday?" they ask me. I think to myself - holiday? What holiday? I've worked harder over the past three months at home than during an entire year in the office.
The Nordic women – leaders in gender equality
The Nordic countries are leaders when it comes to equality between men and women. Nowhere else do women have such good opportunities to participate in working life and build careers. Finland recently set a new world record in the number of women in government, with 12 women cabinet members.
Finland's Tuula Haatainen sees positive gender signals in EU
The European Union is seriously looking at the challenges of gender equality, while many member states have no option but to address the problem of how work and family life can be combined.
Fighting against prejudice
In an effort to tackle discrimination at all levels of society, the Norwegian government has appointed the first ever equality and anti-discrimination ombud. The aim is to fight against all types of prejudice, be it on the basis of gender, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability or age.
Norway pushes ahead with boardroom equality
1 July 2005 was the deadline for the Norwegian business world to voluntarily make sure there is at least 40 per cent of each gender in company boardrooms. Only 17 per cent of companies have managed that. For the others, the demand will no longer be voluntary. It will be the law.
Iceland: The parental revolution
The image of parent and child doesn't necessarily involve a woman any longer in Iceland. For almost five years fathers in Iceland have been able to take paternity leave, and from day one they have made the most of it. This has been the largest step Iceland has taken towards gender equality. But there are still examples of employers who don’t follow the law.
The jigsaw of life…
Three public authorities in Sweden are co-operating to encourage Swedish employers to make it easier for their employees to combine work with parenthood. As part of a larger campaign, they are now sending out a jigsaw to 6.500 employers, with the question: "Work and family - How easy is it to make the pieces fit at your place?"
Annette changes tack
Annette Pedersen decided she wanted to become an electrician. She simply changed tack to get out of unemployment.
Homo Nordicus in the eyes of a Diego
If you rotate Norway like a compass with Oslo in the centre, the North Cape would hit Rome, I am told. Still there is a full ocean, or maybe several, separating the Nordic and Latin cultures.
Women on the board - threat of quotas makes the debate pick up pace
In both Norway and Sweden, legislation is underway for the purpose of placing more women on the boards of private companies unless trade and industry, on its own initiative, increases the women’s share of these positions. Despite the strong presence of equality rights in the Nordic countries, this has still to reach the boardrooms.
The labyrinth of maternity leave benefits
For the past two years in a row, the UN Development Programme has awarded Norway the best place to live in the world based on its quality of life index. With 10-12 months paid maternity leave, free prenatal care and delivery, and extra child care benefits once the baby is born, who could argue.
Nordic men want equal opportunities
It's a myth that Swedish and Norwegian men only take paternity leave so they can go deer hunting. Research shows that men have the same reasons as women, according to the Nordic men's conference in Copenhagen.
Equality Gives Way to Market Forces
Two male social advisors, newly appointed to the County Administrative Board in Malmö, were given salaries in excess of those earned by their incumbent female colleagues. In a judgement issued by the Swedish Labour Court on 23 May, this difference was attributable solely to market forces and not in any way gender discriminating.
Hungry Eyes for Scandinavian Baby Buggies
As the first glimpses of spring appear in Copenhagen, rows of baby buggies stand neatly in line in front of fashionable bars. The children doze away at the comforting sounds of laughter from their parents who enjoy themselves inside.
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