Gender Equality
Articles on gender equality in chronological order.
Nordic men face different challenges from women in non-traditional jobs
Young women training to join typically male-dominated occupations make difficult choices but are also spurred on by family, teachers and politicians and end up with a high-status job. But when young men choose healthcare jobs, they get neither status nor good pay.
The tough road to male occupations in Denmark
Amalie Schwartz is a newly qualified electrician and the only woman in a workplace with 80 people. She is busy changing that disparity every day at work and as an ambassador for the Boss Ladies project.
Iceland's record-breaking parental leave "not perfect"
Iceland's parliament passed a new law on parents’ leave in 2021 giving each parent at least six months off – the longest paternity leave in the Nordics. Yet only six weeks can now be split between them, a big change from earlier when parents could split far more time between them. Usually the mother took the entire leave that could be split.
Finland extends parental leave
Three Nordic countries have recently made changes to parental leave. Iceland increased the leave for both parents to six months in 2021, while Denmark and Finland made changes this summer.
Nordic nuances regarding whistleblowers and paternity leave
Nordic citizens have many rights that can seem nearly utopian to people elsewhere in the world. But in certain areas, there are surprisingly large differences also between Nordic countries. Paternity leave is one example.
Dads on equal footing with mums in Denmark’s new parental leave law
More gender equality in the labour market and more fathers on leave with small children. This is what Danish families can now look forward to after the government has given fathers nine extra weeks of earmarked paternity leave.
Faroe Islands: Four weeks enough for father and child?
Faroese fathers use four out of the 52 weeks of the available parental leave while mothers use 48. The reason is economic, explains a father and the head of the Gender Equality Commission.
Eliza Reid – Iceland's outstanding First Lady
On March the 8th, the book Secrets of the Sprakkar was published in the US after having first been released in Iceland in 2020. It deals with gender equality in Iceland, considered to be among the best in the world. Sprakkar is an ancient Icelandic word for “outstanding women”. A few of these outstanding women are interviewed in the book.
The male role in the Nordics – in crisis or developing?
Two authors from Denmark and Sweden have written books on the male role – one concluding it is in crisis, the other believes it is evolving. Yet both underline the importance of jobs and highlight the negative consequences faced by men who cannot find one – especially among immigrants.
Nordic gender equality paradoxes and power distribution
More than 100 years after Swedish women got voting rights, Sweden got its first female Prime Minister last year.
Magdalena Andersson increases Nordic gender equality
This year's International Women's Day on 8 March is historic. The distribution of power in the Nordics has never been this equal, according to the Nordic Labour Journal's gender equality barometer, where women get a record 92 points.
Danish Queen historically important for gender equality
The Danes chose a woman to be sovereign, and Queen Margrethe has made a considerable contribution toward gender equality.
Finland's tech sector's culture of silence on gender equality
Women who have chosen a tech career tend to avoid gender equality debates, according to the Nordwit centre of excellence which has spent the past five years studying women's careers in technology-driven work environments.
Is there gender equality among Nordic entrepreneurs?
Both in Sweden and in Finland there are more male than female entrepreneurs. What happens to gender equality when women live with men who are entrepreneurs? Are male and female entrepreneurs motivated by different things?
Margrethe Vestager dares take the fight to the giants
EU’s Danish Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager fights against the big ones bullying the little ones. It brings her respect at home and abroad.
Sexual harassment: new knowledge needed
Sexual harassment in the care sector has had less attention than harassment in other sectors. Patients behaving inappropriately is often seen as part of the job. “High tolerance levels represent a problem,” says Bryndis Elfa Valdemarsdottir, who has been heading the Icelandic part of a Nordic project looking at this problem.
Nordic inspiration behind new EU directive
Yet another EU directive dealing with wages is in the pipeline. This time it is about pay transparency and the aim is to improve compliance with the principles of equal pay for men and women. The proposal is said to be inspired by good experiences from Denmark and Sweden, but differs quite a bit from what is common practice in those countries.
LGBTI certification – more than a rainbow flag outside the building
Insecurity can stifle conversations about LGBTI – better to say nothing than risk choosing the wrong word. At Dunker Culture House in Helsingborg, knowledge gained from certification has had a positive effect on both visitors and the work environment. It has also increased self-confidence among staff.
More women in STEM jobs would benefit all of society
Could education or jobs be to blame for women and girls not choosing science, technology, engineering or mathematics – known as STEM – occupations? Or is it the women and girls themselves who need to change?
Norway: women engineers on the rise
Ingvild Wang (24) has a master of technology from Norway’s University of Science and Technology, NTNU. She believes role models and equal education opportunities have led to a good proportion of women among young engineers.
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