Swedish and Norwegian politicians have been active in legislating gender equality. Their colleagues in Finland and Denmark have been more hesitant.

‘The Nordic countries differ in this respect,’ says Monica Burman, senior lecturer in criminal law at Umeå University.
Burman and her colleagues at Umeå Forum for Studies on Law and Society are the lead hosts of a Nordic conference on the role of the legal sector in the work for gender equality.

The conference will be held in the spring. How is the planning going? 
‘We’re just about to start sending out the invitations, so we’re well underway. We’re going to have two Nordic panels featuring professors from different countries. All of them are researchers in law with a clear gender profile. I think we’re going to have some very interesting discussions.’

Can you describe the role of legislation in Nordic gender equality? 
‘It actually plays a very important role. There are several examples of how politicians have used legislation to create or encourage gender equality. One is that all the Nordic countries have abolished joint taxation of married couples in order to promote women’s participation in the labour market. Sweden did it already in the 1970s, and at the time it was considered a very radical thing to do. Many EU countries still haven’t given up joint taxation.’

Can you tell us more about the differences between the Nordic countries?
‘The legislation on domestic violence is one example. It used to be that the police wouldn’t start an investigation unless the victim reported the perpetrator to the police. Sweden changed this in 1982 while Finland kept the old law much longer. There are many similar examples and it all comes down to the value the countries place on gender equality. To what extent do they believe legal intervention is required? Norway in particular has strong faith in legislation as a means to achieve gender equality. Their gender quotas for company boards are one expression of this.’

Which themes will be addressed at the conference?
‘That will partly depend on the abstracts we receive. We’ll have two international keynotes. Rosemary Hunter from Queen Mary University in the UK focuses on family law and domestic violence. Kathleen Lahey from Kingston University in Canada will talk about economic issues such as how we collect and distribute tax money. One of the panel discussions will also give special attention to gender and law in the Arctic.’

Why is it important to meet other Nordic researchers?
‘We need input from each other. That’s how we can advance the research in our different areas.’

This is an article about one of the projects granted funding through the Nordic Gender Equality Fund.

<strong”>Why is this cooperation needed?
‘We need to share ideas and strategies since a lot of our work is so new. What works and what doesn’t? That’s what we need to talk about. Men’s engagement in gender equality issues is completely new in many countries, but our organisation Men for Gender Equality Sweden was founded in 1993. We are one of the oldest – if not the oldest – organisation in the world that focuses on men and gender equality. Our partner organisations in the other Nordic countries have also worked in the field for a long time and are therefore important to us. We have a lot in common and stand out internationally. Just looking at other EU countries makes you realise that the view of gender and gender equality can be so fundamentally different.’

Are there differences also among the Nordic countries?

‘We agree on a lot of things but the progress made differs in many areas. The countries have prioritised different topics, to some extent. For example, Iceland has pushed the issue of parental leave more aggressively than others while other countries have focused more on violence.’

The network consists of four organisations. How similar are they?
‘Like I said, we have a lot in common but there are also differences. We for example have different views on the role of men in the feminist movement. In Men for Gender Equality Sweden, we refer to ourselves as a feminist organisation while others prefer to say they are pro-feminist. As long as we live in a patriarchy it is important that men are aware of their power position in society and that we team up with the women’s movement and feminism without taking up too much space, so to speak.’

In Men for Gender Equality you take a norm critical approach to men and masculinities. Can you describe this work?
‘At our workshops we talk a lot about “stepping out of the man-box” and discovering the full range of humanity. Men are for example often lonely and have a hard time asking for help if they’re not doing well. This has to do with masculinity norms. Stepping out of the man-box means leaving your comfort zone, which can be really hard. We need to support and help each other as it may be difficult to do it alone.’

What’s the goal with the new network?
‘We hope the network is the start of permanent cooperation where we can share experiences and project ideas. Maybe we can even launch projects together.’

This is an article about one of the projects granted funding through the Nordic Gender Equality Fund.

A Nordic workshop on gender mainstreaming at the local level was arranged 6-7 November in Helsinki. The aim of the workshop, which was the second of its kind, was to strengthen a Nordic network and share experiences at municipal level between the Nordic countries.

According to Sinikka Mikola, gender equality expert at the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities, the network is aiming for long-term development that will continue also after the completion of shorter projects.

‘One important purpose of the workshops is to share knowledge about gender equality and gender equality policy across the Nordic borders. We talk a lot about sustainable arguments and compare experiences,’ says Mikola.

There are both similarities and differences among the Nordic countries, according to Mikola.

‘For example, in Sweden they talk more explicitly about gender equality whereas here in Finland there is a primary focus on economic aspects and budgets, in particular in bad economic times. A common Finnish counterargument is that we already have gender equality or that gender equality is a women’s issue.’

Nima Mäki, researcher and administrator for the network, says that it is important to present gender equality as a democracy issue.

‘In the end, gender equality is a matter of human rights and therefore a matter of quality for the people living in the municipalities. You can’t really talk about quality in municipal services unless all citizens are treated and given access to resources equally.’

One of the network’s workshops showed how the mayor of Kristiansand, Norway, wanted to test what it is like to have a disability and roamed the city in a wheelchair for a whole day.

‘This was filmed and when the result was shown to the people who live there, both they and the mayor came to realise how the city is designed for a certain group of people. When you make a gender equality problem visible, you usually also make a gender equality perspective visible,’ says Mikola.

Urban planning is a central aspect of municipal gender equality work. During one of the workshops, Mäki talked about the connection between gender equality and city planning. Sensible city planning results in a city where for example women can feel safe. Today most cities are planned in a way that gives rise to areas where women feel unsafe.

‘Many women feel unsafe in the city environment. They avoid parks and dark areas and often have strategies for where and how they can move around in it. Maybe they carry keys in their hands to use as a weapon. Men don’t feel unsafe like that. It’s important that everybody in a democracy feels safe,’ says Mäki. ‘So it’s important that those who design the cities have this awareness, all the way from the urban planning committee to the planning architect.’

Throughout the workshop there was a focus on learning processes rather than concrete goals. Mäki discussed the importance of defining and formulating the problems municipalities come across in order to find effective solutions for them.

Mäki mentioned that he has looked at how other countries in the world have worked to increase the share of men in preschool education. In Australia it was stated that male preschool teachers lead to boys performing better. This leads to the question of what it is about the presence of men that makes the boys’ results go up, and why female preschool teachers don’t have the same effect.

‘Our conclusion is that men have to be part of the gender equality work. Gender equality is not just a women’s issue. But it is important to discuss and be clear about what the men are supposed to contribute so that stereotypes about what’s masculine and feminine are not reinforced,’ says Mäki.

Another issue discussed at the workshop was whether social workers treat women and men the same.

‘It’s all about staying clear of norms based on gender stereotypes.’

A gender equality perspective must be integrated in all processes, according to Mäki.

Resources and enthusiasts

Ann-Charlott Callerstig from Örebro University talked about her research and implementation of gender equality work in the public sector. She chose to focus on some practical results and commonly observed problems within the municipalities.

‘One challenge is that gender equality work doesn’t have enough resources and that it is advanced by “enthusiasts”. Another common problem is that many organisations have gender equality programmes and policies that are never actually implemented. There are also policies that lack implementable solutions. Many municipalities have identified aims but not the exact guidelines for how to achieve them,’ says Callerstig.

According to Callerstig, municipalities often  initiate projects without having enough economic resources to implement them properly.

‘The projects just kind of fizzle out, ending in nothing, and then a few years later new projects are started. I’m interested in how gender equality projects can be integrated with a long-term perspective as in the regular daily municipal work.

One important purpose of the projects is to give the municipal workers the tools they need to implement a gender equality perspective. Callerstig pointed out that all gender equality projects should include relevant training for those assigned to work with it.

‘At the same time we must remember that training has not always led to concrete interventions. Just think about driving a car: Although we know it’s bad for the environment, we keep choosing to do it.’

Callerstig said it is all about changing our behaviour and therefore also our values and thoughts.

‘Another example is the introduction of gender quotas for board members in Norway. At first people were against it, but once it had been implemented much of the resistance faded. Today the quotas are pretty much taken for granted,’ says Callerstig.

Reach out in the community

About 30 politicians and municipal officials attended last year’s workshop. This year the number increased to 40. Sinikka Mikola and Nima Mäki agree that it is very important to support the Nordic cooperation and the gender equality network.

‘It does take some work to get the participants together and because of the poor financial situation of many municipalities I was concerned about the Finnish participation this year. Something as seemingly minor as travel expenses led to many municipal representatives not being able to come,’ says Mikola.

Mäki and Mikola believe that a strong political willingness is a necessity in the municipal gender equality work. Next year’s network meeting will be held in Oslo 1-22 May 2015.

This is an article about one of the projects granted funding through the Nordic Gender Equality Fund.

‘Women in prostitution who want help need somebody to contact,’ says Tanja Auvinen from the Finnish organisation Exit Prostitution.
Internationally, many organisations support women in prostitution through so-called exit programmes. In the Nordic-Baltic region, these programmes can only be found in Norway and Denmark.
‘We want to start an exit programme in Finland, but first we need to learn more about it,’ says Auvinen.
How do the exit programmes work?
‘If a person is motivated to leave the sex industry, we need to be available to help out. The work can take many forms. It’s a type of social work where the personal encounter is important. Women who want to enter a programme get to meet somebody who can offer support and guidance. The programmes are based on the notion that sex work is harmful to both the individual and society.’
How is the sex industry harmful, in your opinion?
‘There is strong evidence that many women in the sex industry have been exposed to sexual violence. We also know that commercial sex has psychological consequences for the seller. At a societal level, approval of prostitution signals that it is ok to buy women’s bodies.’

Whether or not commercial sex should be permitted is a controversial issue. How do you feel about the debate?

‘It’s true that this issue is subject to intense debate, but you don’t see the same polarisation in the practical work. There are organisations that work to improve the conditions for women in the sex industry without taking a stance for or against the existence of the industry. We don’t think their approach is wrong, but the aim of the exit programmes is clear: this industry must be eliminated.’

What’s going on in the project at the moment?
‘We just came back from a workshop in London where we learned a lot from other organisations involved in exit programmes. Next year we’ll arrange a seminar in Helsinki to gather and disseminate knowledge.’

This is an article about one of the projects granted funding through the Nordic Gender Equality Fund.

The conference was arranged on 13 November in Reykjavik by the Icelandic Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers, a Nordic working group for equal pay and a committee working for equal pay in Iceland.

Bergholm said that economists tend to believe that only the export industry is important and that the service sector is a parasite and a burden for trade and industry.

‘In reality it’s the service sector that’s growing, both the private and the public. We should value how we organise society in the Nordic countries and see to it that we also value it economically.

Thorsteinn Víglundsson, Director General of the Confederation of Icelandic Employers, agreed that different sectors are valued differently.
‘Is it unfair? It’s not a matter of fairness. It’s an economic reality we’re facing.’

Gender-equal pay has been a central aim of Nordic gender equality policy for a long time. Yet the progress has been slow and in the last decade the differences in pay between men and women have decreased only marginally. How can equal pay be achieved? Is legislation and other forms of state intervention the right way to go or should we rely on negotiations between the social partners in the labour market? These types of questions were discussed at the Nordic conference.

Valued differently

Like other European countries, the Nordic labour markets are highly gender segregated, and one effect of this is that men and women are valued differently in terms of pay. This was concluded by Daniela Bankier, Head of the Unit for Gender Equality in the Directorate-General Justice of the European Commission.

‘The gender pay gap is a reflection of all inequalities women are facing in the labour market.’

Direct wage discrimination is no longer common, according to Bankier, as there are laws against it. Part-time work among women is, however, and affects not only their income but also their wage level.

‘Part-time work can be good in certain phases of life as it makes it easier to combine work and family life, but we also see problems with it. It is concentrated to certain occupations and limits the workers’ opportunities for education and a career.’

Women work in low-paying occupations

In our gender-segregated labour market, women work mainly in care and education while men are found in the manufacturing industry.

‘It’s very problematic and linked to the roles of women and men in society,’ said Bankier.

‘The biggest problem is that women work in low-paid sectors,’ said Lisbeth Pedersen, researcher from the Danish National Centre for Social Research. ‘We don’t talk about why we have these low-paid occupations. The salaries were set at low levels when women entered these sectors 40-50 years ago, because back then women weren’t primary breadwinners but instead were in charge of taking care of their kids. This pay structure hasn’t changed.’

Don’t want to wait 70 years

It is going to take more than legislation to tackle the pay gap, said Bankier. It is difficult to take legal action since it may lead to layoffs. Wage transparency may be one way to go. Individual employees should be able to know how much other workers make. It is also important to work with businesses to make them receptive to the issue of equal pay. Most of them don’t want the government to regulate the wage setting but instead believe that wages should be negotiated between the social partners in the labour market.

‘Collective agreements may be a powerful tool in the work for equal pay, but it can also be used to maintain status quo,’ said Bankier.

Every year, the European Commission arranges the European Equal Pay Day and seminars on for example part-time work, career interruptions, childcare and the involvement of fathers. The aim of these efforts is to put the issue of part-time work higher on the agenda.

‘At the present pace it will take 70 years to achieve equal pay and we don’t want to wait that long,’ said Bankier.

Splitting parental leave in three parts a good idea

Iceland was held as a role model in two areas related to gender equality in the labour market: the splitting of parental leave into three parts, which was introduced in the beginning of the millennium, and gender quotas for company boards, inspired by Norwegian legislation.

‘We would normally not advocate quotas for company boards, but it has turned out to be very successful,’ said Thorsteinn Víglundsson. ‘We have made great progress in a short time. The tripartite parental leave has also been good. We didn’t want parents’ sharing of parental leave to be determined based on income. But we ruined the system a little during the financial crisis. We reduced the maximum level of compensation and once again the sharing became an economic issue.’

‘There was no ceiling from the beginning,’ said Halldor Grönvold, Deputy General Secretary of the Icelandic Confederation of Labour. ‘This meant that men used the parental leave actively for three months. We know from research that it has meant a lot. Employers could no longer assume who was staying home. There was a proposition to extend the parental leave to five months for each parent and two months that the parents can share any way they want. But the government that took office in 2013 didn’t go for it, unfortunately.’

Endure the pain

The Icelandic government and the social partners in the labour market have agreed on a standard for equal pay. Everybody who joins the agreement must work actively for an equal pay structure. The purpose is to put pressure on the parties participating in the standard. Halldor Grönvold said that a lot can be done to make the negotiation system better apt to handle the equal pay issue.

‘It’s a matter of changing the prevailing culture. The negotiation system was created by men. We have to revise it gradually and the trade unions have to raise their expectations.’

Tapio Bergholm called for organisation and persistent, hard work since nothing worthwhile happens by itself, but also concluded what several others also conveyed:

‘We have to endure the pain of the slow transition since changes in pay structures tend to occur very slowly.’

The minister pointed out though that the labour market remains gender segregated. Women have more household and family responsibility and men work longer days away from home. Equal participation in the labour market is an important factor on the path to gender equality, as is equal sharing of household duties.

Complex interaction between many factors

Nordic women are more likely than men to work part time, which has economic consequences. This was concluded in a report titled Part-Time Work in the Nordic Region, presented by Nordic Information on Gender (NIKK) in Stockholm last year.

The reasons why women are more likely to choose to work part time are discussed in the second part of the report, which was presented at the conference in Reykjavik. It turns out that the pattern is the result of complex interactions between many factors, including health, family and labour market.

A group of experts, politicians, labour market representatives and others participated in the conference. The aim was to learn from each other’s experiences regarding how to deal with the problem, and working groups at the conference discussed which changes are needed in order to reduce the negative effects on gender equality.

Let us broaden the horizons

‘Society misses out on women’s valuable education and training when so many of them work part time,’ says Bosse Parbring, administrator of the NIKK project with the same name as the report. Everybody should have the opportunity to work full time. Women and immigrants are in the same situation in this respect and are in a weak position in relation to employers.

Parbring says he is happy with how the conference turned out. Working in small groups gave the participants new perspectives on the problems discussed. He says that the format led to intense discussions, as all participants had expert knowledge and relevant experiences and everybody had something to add to the debate. It is important that experts and labour market parties get together and discuss what can be done to turn the development around.

Part time is not a bad idea

Part-time work can be defined as women’s way to handle unhealthy conditions, say the authors of the report. This includes both the conflict between paid work and family life and health-related factors.

Norwegian researcher Cathrine Egeland, who wrote the second part of the report together with Ida Drange, says that the uneven representation of women and men in part-time work is nothing new. Just look at their economic independence and pensions. ‘But I believe it would be good to approach the issue from a different angle and address it in a broader context,’ she said in an interview with NIKK. ‘Part-time work is not a bad idea, if men also saw it as an opportunity. In Norway, all labour market parties agree that this is a big problem and fear a shortage of labour in the future. Women are at the same time pressured to work even harder at home, and maybe the real problem lies in this dual message to men and women about how things should be organised.’

Men should work part time

Ingólfur V. Gislason, senior lecturer in sociology at the University of Iceland, agrees with Egeland and says that as long as the majority of part-time workers are women, it is a problem. If the same number of men were in the same situation, it would not be a problem. ‘Women earn less money, and the potential for change in this respect is small as long as this situation remains. The most radical and best way to reduce this problem and at the same time contribute to gender equality in society and the wellbeing of children would be to shorten the workweek for both women and men to about 35 hours,’ he tells NIKK.

Do women have a choice?

The most common reasons why women work part time have to do with their family and private life. However, the share of women who work part time because they cannot find a full-time job is also relatively large, in particular in Iceland and Denmark. There is also a growing group of individuals who say they work part time due to illness.

Drifa Snaedal, general secretary of the Federation of General and Special Workers in Iceland, says there should be a discussion about what full-time work really means. Part-time work is very common in for example healthcare. ‘In some traditionally female-dominated jobs in the public sector, the stress level is so high nobody can work more than 80 per cent of full time, especially if shift work is involved,’ says Snaedal to NIKK. ‘Research also shows that women choose part-time work more often. We need to look closer at this and find out how voluntary this choice is in the cases where women also have to care for children, old people and those with health problems because the welfare system has failed. The unions can’t solve this problem alone, and nor can the employers. The labour market parties and governments have to work together and seriously discuss whether everybody involved may benefit from redefining the workweek.’

Flexibility required

Magnus Lindström from the Swedish employers’ association KFO was also happy with the conference. He has been part of Swedish working group that has looked at the possibilities of creating more full-time jobs in the retail sector. He says that both the employers and employees agree that workers who wish to work full time should be accommodated. ‘The priorities vary, though.

The worker side would like to see solutions involving legislation and collective agreements. The final answer is nowhere in sight. The law says it’s ok to keep shops open 24 hours a day seven days a week. The employers don’t want any changes and would like to keep the system flexible in order to make their scheduling easier. The working group is an attempt to solve the problem, either technically or through collective negotiations without having to change any rules or laws.’

Paternal leave – a step forward

Euygló Hardardóttir pointed out that sometimes progress is not possible without legislative change. ‘The Icelandic law that granted fathers the right to paternal leave was important in this context. Young men’s attitudes have changed. Today it’s cool to be a family man with domestic responsibilities.’

Ingólfur V. Gislason says that when Icelandic men were granted the right to paternal leave in 2000, it affected the struggle for gender equality positively, and today men are more involved in the care of their children. ‘Women return to work sooner after having a baby, and the number of hours of paid work is more equal today than in the past,’ he says. ‘So women are working more and men are working correspondingly less and want to spend more time at home. This is far from enough, however. The leave is too short and the period between the end of parental leave and the beginning of preschool is too long. Women are much more likely than men to bridge this gap.’

Bosse Parbring says that although Iceland has not achieved gender equality in this area, the paternal leave has led to positive change – something that of course is receiving attention in the other Nordic countries.’

Shorter shifts in female-dominated jobs

Majbritt Mohr from Faroe Islands’ healthcare association says that the conference was great and that it was interesting to hear about all the things that the Nordic countries have in common. Yet it became very clear during the discussions that the situation is complicated and that there are no easy solutions.

Mohr says that a strong tradition of women working part time has been formed in the Faroe Islands. ‘The men used to be at sea and therefore away from home for extended periods. Although many of them no longer work at sea, some have found work in the Norwegian oil industry in the last five years and have to be gone from their families for long periods,’ she tells NIKK.

‘Twenty per cent of Faroese women would like to work more hours per week than currently possible. The women who are sole breadwinners can’t make ends meet with a part-time salary,’ she says.

‘The employers have to organise the work differently to enable women to work full time. Instead they have moved in the opposite direction by reducing the shifts in healthcare to six hours, rather than making them longer. They could also shorten the workweek, but right now they are instead making it very difficult for women.’

Regnér sees the Nordic gender equality cooperation as very important. Not only to enable the countries to learn from each other but also so they can put their foot down internationally and facilitate change. Major international conferences will be held next year, both in relation to the Beijing platform and the UN development goals. One controversial issue on the agenda is women’s sexual and reproductive rights.

‘The world community has turned more conservative in recent years and it is very difficult to move forward in these areas. I believe the Nordic countries have a great deal of responsibility here. The rates of maternal death remain high in many places, and this is because the issue has been neglected, often intentionally,’ says Regnér, who prior to becoming minister served as UN Women country representative in Bolivia.

Regnér has already met with the other Nordic gender equality ministers. She feels that the countries have many interesting experiences regarding the role of men in the gender equality work and would like to see a stronger focus in this area.

‘We should concretise this work more, move on to the next phase and talk about what works and what we want to achieve.’

Wants to learn from Norway

When it comes to learning from other Nordic countries, Regnér mentions Norway’s work with gender quota requirements for company boards. Norway introduced the first law on gender quotas in 2003, requiring all boards of state-owned and public companies to reserve at least 40 per cent of their seats for women. Evaluations have shown that the women who were recruited in response to the new legislation have helped boost the average level of education in Norwegian corporate boards significantly.

‘I think Norway’s experiences in this area are very interesting.’

Regnér is also looking forward to hearing more about Norway’s work to involve men in the prevention of violence against women. The Norwegian research and treatment centre Alternative to Violence is a forerunner in the area.

‘They’re using some interesting methods to help men to see their own behaviour and that the pattern can be broken. The latter is particularly important,’ says Regnér.

Measuring gender equality objectives

So what changes can be expected in Swedish gender equality policy? Regnér wants to review and update the country’s gender equality objectives. Yet exactly how this will be done is too early to say, she says.

‘But there must be a difference between a feminist government and another government. We have to be able to measure that we indeed make conscious decisions to promote equality between women and men.’

Several inquiries concerning for example domestic violence, gender equality policy and gender equality indicators are underway or have just been completed. Regnér says that the outcome of the inquiries will help inform the government’s updated gender equality policy.

‘I’m looking forward to reading the reports. The Swedish gender equality objectives are almost 10 years old, and the new information will give us a good idea of how we should move forward.’

The gender mainstreaming continues

Gender mainstreaming is the Swedish government’s primary strategy to achieve the country’s gender equality objectives. In simple terms, gender mainstreaming means that a gender equality perspective must be employed in all political decisions. The previous centre-right government gave a lot of attention to gender mainstreaming, for example through the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR) and the Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research. What will the future look like in this respect?

‘The government statement provides that the gender mainstreaming will continue and be further intensified. I see this as an important tool in the work of a feminist government,’ says Regnér.

She says that the good experiences that have been gathered must be linked to tools and to the ambition to be a feminist government. But she is not ready to share the specifics of this work quite yet.

‘My idea is that this should be a long-term effort that ought to be more measurable than it is today. I’ll share more details about this as soon as I can.’

What will happen with the JIM project (gender mainstreaming in public agencies) after it concludes at the end of this year?‘
We’ll most likely expand that work. My ambition is clear: I want it to be long term and not ad hoc, and I want it to lead to increased gender equality in a number of areas. It’s going to take a lot of effort, so we must figure out a good format for the work,’ says Regnér.

Halonen pointed out that the countries with the highest levels of gender equality are also the ones with the best living conditions.

‘It makes good economic sense to use the capacity of both women and men,’ she said and reminded the audience that because of the tough conditions in the Arctic, it has always been necessary for both genders to contribute.

Focus on the Arctic

International experts, leaders from the private sector, politicians and representatives from the countries in the Arctic Council (USA, Russia, Canada and the Nordic countries) met at the conference in Iceland to discuss Arctic concerns. In light of the climate change problem and issues related to security and natural resources, there is an increasing focus on the region.

The Arctic Council is the only institution that can make decisions that lead to direct action in the eight Arctic states. At the conference, the group discussed the Arctic region and issues such as gender equality, gender representation in politics, resource management and climate change.

Gender equality lagging

Eva Maria Svensson, professor at the University of Gothenburg and the University of the Arctic, stressed that the position of the genders varies across the countries in the Arctic countries. Gender equality has come a long way in the Nordic countries, which implies significant challenges for Canada, USA and Russia.

The gender equality in all public administration in the northern regions is falling behind, despite the gender equality legislation in place.

A number of indigenous organisations are also part of the Arctic Council. Sami member of parliament Gunn-Britt Retter spoke on behalf of the indigenous groups. She said that although the Nordic countries share both weather and spirit, it is the shared experience of the indigenous groups that is a key factor in the cooperation – and how they can ensure that their concerns remain on the agenda in the international community.

Masculine politics

Gunn-Britt Retter said that now, when all eyes are turned to the North, it can be seen that the policy developed for the area seems to be very male oriented. One can imagine what the Arctic would be like if all these men could have it their way. The Sami have relied on fishing and reindeers for their survival for thousands of years and therefore possess a unique understanding of life in the far North. Norway and Sweden are focusing on mining and do not believe in the viability of developing the traditional industries, like developing sustainable and environmentally friendly agriculture and fisheries. Retter also said that it is certainly possible to develop opportunities for mining to some extent, but that it is also important to consider the business opportunities inherent in old traditions. The mining will probably be profitable for the first, say, 20 years, but then what?

Ownership of knowledge

‘There is a major difference in the proportions of men and women in different areas of these countries,’ said Unnur Brá Konrádsdóttir, vice chair of the West Nordic Council, in a discussion with Nordic Information on Gender (NIKK) about what northern regions have in common in the area of gender equality.

‘Women move away, get a university degree, but because of the lack of opportunities in the labour market they never return.’

She says that businesses in industry and mining should be encouraged to target women in particular when recruiting workers, and also to consider the needs of women when planning the workweek.

Kriss Rokkan Iversen earned a PhD and then returned to Lofoten – a remote archipelago off the coast of Norway above the Arctic Circle – and started a business named Salt together with another woman. The company operates far from the academic world and sells specialised products related to the marine environment.

She pointed out in her speech that the farther north you go, the fewer university graduates you come across. However, women are better off in this regard, since considerably more women than men get a university degree. She said that ownership of knowledge is an important factor in discussions about the right to the northern areas, and that both genders can get a stake in the future by retaining the knowledge in the local communities.

Climate change and gender equality

Climate change and increased traffic and resource exploitation form a threat to the natural conditions, security and sustainable environment for all people in the northern regions and also in the rest of the world. It is therefore important that the eight countries in the Arctic Council base their discussions on common sense and sustainability, and that both women and men can participate in the decision making.

Tarja Halonen said that the climate change, environmental protection and right to land issues in the North have to be addressed with a gender equality perspective. Equal rights to the legal system for everybody – men, women, indigenous groups and others – must be ensured.

Eva Maria Svensson agreed and reminded that the economic development in the North did not happen by itself, but is rather the result of the present policies. It is important to include gender equality on the agenda in order to ensure public participation in decisions regarding the future of the Arctic region.

Audur H. Ingólfsdóttir, assistant professor at Bifröst University, discussed the problem from a feminist perspective. She said that the debate on the Arctic region has been highly masculine, in particular in the last few years. Those with the strongest financial interests have become increasingly interested in the region as they are seeing a great potential for profitable oil production and mining. She also said she has noticed how some things cannot be said in the open, critical questions cannot be asked and demands for sustainability and environmental protection are not appreciated.

Ingólfsdóttir said that there are many signs that the two genders have different outlooks on these issues, and that female participation could give soft values more attention and increase diversity.

Information is lacking

‘We need more data,’ said Unnur Brá Konrádsdóttir, vice chair of the West Nordic Council. ‘Information is the key to change.’

Eva Maria Svensson agreed and said that we need more research on the position of the genders and a better analysis of women’s participation in the far north areas that belong to the countries in the Arctic Council.

Kristín Ástgeirsdóttir, head of the Centre for Gender Equality Iceland, agreed. She suggested that a gender equality barometer be created for the Arctic, as there is currently no data illustrating the status of the different regions.

‘After listening to the discussions here at the conference, I think that type of comparison could be interesting,’ said Ástgeirsdóttir in an interview with NIKK. ‘It’s important to have a clear view of regional problems.’

Ástgeirsdóttir also said that since Iceland and the other Nordic countries have come farther, they can share their experiences from gender equality work with other countries. As Iceland does not have any indigenous groups, the country does not have to consider the consequences of age-old oppression and colonialism.

‘There are many common traits across the Arctic region,’ said Ástgeirsdóttir. ‘Lots of women moving away, differences in educational attainment and lack of diversity in the labour market, in addition to the effects of climate change and the large corporations’ demand for natural resources. In the end, it’s a question of which kind of society we want in this part of the world.’

The aim of the project A Gender Equal Nordic Region is to enable students to learn about the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the Beijing Platform for Action.
‘These documents may sound a bit dry, but once you read them you’ll see that there is some good stuff in there,‘ says Stéphanie Thögersen, programme manager at the Swedish Women’s Lobby.

The project is run by three organisations from Sweden, Denmark and Iceland and will result in new computer-based teaching material consisting of information, exercises and a teacher’s guide.

Why did you start the project?
‘The project is actually an extension of the Nordic Forum, which gathered 30 000 participants in Malmö, Sweden. We want to take advantage of the engagement and experiences from that weekend. One aim of the Forum was to get young people involved, and that’s what we want to keep building on. We want to spread knowledge to adolescents, along with the final document from the Nordic Forum.’

In what ways do young people lack knowledge?
‘There’s strong engagement in feminist issues, but they don’t know much about women’s rights and the commitments that the Nordic countries have made for gender equality. The Nordic governments have signed both the UN Women’s Convention and the Beijing Platform, so they have some important responsibilities to live up to. That’s good to know because the UN documents can be used as a tool to put pressure on the politicians.’

Are there any issues that are of particular importance to young people?
‘The teaching material will be based on the 12 themes of the Beijing Platform. We haven’t yet decided which topics to focus on, but some themes definitely seem more important to young people. We have for example witnessed a recent revolution against sexist advertisements in this group. We’re also seeing strong engagement against rape. Older feminists may get upset that their younger counterparts are not showing a stronger interest in equal pay and pensions, but there’s really nothing strange about it. Most people feel strongly about whatever issues are directly relevant to their lives. It’s our aim is to broaden the knowledge and increase the engagement in a number of issues related to women’s rights.’

Why do you want to run the project as a Nordic collaboration?

‘We think the development in the area of women’s rights has lost momentum, both internationally and in the Nordic countries, so we need to make a joint effort to get the ball rolling again. This was the leading idea behind the Nordic Forum and this is how we want to keep working. The Nordic countries can learn a lot from each other. For example, Iceland has introduced gender studies in over half of all upper-secondary schools, which has led to a surge of feminist engagement among young people. I think the rest of us have something to learn from that.’

The project sprang from the Nordic Forum. What did the Forum teach us?
‘A lot about it was unique. It was so incredibly big. The Nordic Forum showed that there’s strong engagement in these issues. It also showed how important it is with meetings involving all ages and actors in society. We feel strongly that we need more interaction between activists, organisations, public agencies, municipalities, businesses and politicians.’

This is an article about one of the projects granted funding through the Nordic Gender Equality Fund.

Experts from Finland, Norway, Denmark and Sweden will work together to develop criteria for the proposed gender equality certification. A joint Nordic certification is initiated by Cecilie Nørgaard, a member of the group. The first step will be to identify successful examples from Nordic schools and preschools.
‘We need to get a better understanding of which methods work and have proved successful,’ says Mervi Heikkinen, researcher at the University of Oulu.

Can you tell us about a successful example?
‘Sure, there are many. In Finland, for example, the government has introduced an amendment to a gender equality act consisting an obligation for compulsory schools to draft a gender equality action plan. One important feature of the plan is that the children and adolescents are supposed to be involved in the entire process of change. Together with the teachers, they are expected to point out problems, set goals and ponder over how to achieve them. This teaches the children to talk about gender and gender equality. The kids have come up with many different issues that need attention. They have for example pointed to problems concerning girls’ and boys’ access to toys in preschool.’

Why do we need a gender equality certification for schools and preschools?

‘We see the certification network as an important policy tool. The Nordic countries are world leading in gender equality, but we aren’t done yet. The gender equality work in education is not systematic enough. These are the types of innovative methods we need to reach the next level.’

The politicians still haven’t decided whether there will actually be a Nordic gender certification. Where do we stand at the moment?
‘It looks like we’ll have to start at the national level. We hope that it will lead to a Nordic certification down the road. The politicians are afraid that a certification system will get too big and expensive. Maybe we can convince them with our project that it won’t.’

What can the Nordic countries gain from cooperating?
‘We’re facing similar challenges and can benefit greatly from each other’s knowledge. The Nordic countries have taken important steps forward together in recent decades and that’s how we can reach even further. We need to challenge and inspire each other.’

What happens next in the network?
‘We’ve been able to gather a good group of researchers and teachers but are still looking for experts from Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. We’re also planning a seminar on successful examples from Nordic schools and preschools. The work will also result in a report on key features of successful practices on gender equality promotion in education.’

This is an article about one of the projects granted funding through the Nordic Gender Equality Fund.