The Nordic gender equality ministers are planning a new cooperation programme for the period 2015-2018, and the purpose of the questionnaire was to gather ideas about how the new programme should be designed. One response reads: ‘We recommend an intersectional approach also in the gender equality work. For the gender equality work to be successful and meaningful for everybody, it is important that factors such as sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, ethnicity, functionality etc. be considered. The work could benefit from the many knowledgeable actors in the LBGT and anti-racism movements.’

Many respondents favour a broad approach targeting many different areas. However, labour market issues, education and gender-based violence are areas with particularly high priority.

The results also stress gender mainstreaming as an effective method. Gender mainstreaming means that the gender equality perspective permeates all decision-making within an organisation.

Broad response a good foundation for future work

The respondents included government agencies, research institutes and voluntary and interest organisations from across the Nordic region, such as the Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights (RFSL), the Equality Ombudsman, KILDEN, Minna – Center for Gender Equality Information in Finland, the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions and The Feminist Movement in Iceland.

‘It’s great that so many different types of organisations responded. Thanks everybody for responding! This gives us a good understanding of how the Nordic gender equality cooperation is perceived and what it should look like in the future,’ says Josefine Alvunger, Head of Operations, NIKK.

The Council of Ministers for Gender Equality is developing a new cooperation programme for 2015-2018, and NIKK’s questionnaire is just one of the different ways used to gather valuable input.

‘As a centre of expertise on gender equality and gender mainstreaming, the Institute relies

on the theoretical and empirical work undertaken in academia and research institutes. It seeks to ensure that its findings are used to inform further research in academia on the one hand, and on the other to ensure the highest quality of Institute’s research work by welcoming and engaging with critical perspectives of academics and researchers on the work of the Institute,’ says Jolanta Reingarde, senior researcher at EIGE.

One of the major areas of institute’s research work is related to the analysis of the EU-wide data and gender statistics and development of EU-wide indicators on gender equality for better informed policy making and monitoring. EIGE is working closely with the major data providers on international and European level, such as UNECE, OECD, ILO, Eurostat and Eurofound.

‘EIGE would greatly benefit from systematic and more structured engagement with researchers, especially in Institute’s work to promote the production of high quality reliable and comparable gender statistics in the EU and beyond,’ says Jolanta Reingarde.

Bringing researchers and decision-makers together

EIGE is involved in a number of research areas broadly divided into the following four categories:

• Follow-up of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action in the EU
• Gender-based violence
• Gender Equality Index
• Gender mainstreaming

‘In addition, EIGE’s Resource and Documentation Centre, RDC, is an important tool to ensure that researchers both have access to the broadest and most pertinent information related to their work, and subsequently disseminate it centrally through the RDC to other researchers,’ says Jolanta Reingarde.

Last year EIGE launched EuroGender – an electronic European network on gender equality – which serves as a collaborative platform for various stakeholders in the field of gender equality and gender mainstreaming.

‘It aims at bridging policy and decision-makers with researchers and civil society in exchange of views, experiences, information and relevant data in the area of gender equality in order to support and encourage research and optimise the use of available resources,’ says Jolanta Reingarde.

I think it’s dawning on most people that it’s a good idea to engage men in the gender equality work,’ says Norwegian masculinity researcher Jørgen Lorentzen.

Six years ago, he was a member of the Norwegian men’s panel tasked to spark debate about men and gender equality. The panel was initiated by the minister for gender equality and was the first panel of its kind in the Nordic region. It consisted of politicians, writers, representatives from business and industry and persons involved in the public debate.
‘It was a strange but exciting situation. It is very unusual that men from entirely different environments meet in a group to discuss gender equality. There is still this strong notion that gender equality is only a women’s issue,’ he says.
The panel talked about socialisation, fatherhood and violence, among many other topics. Lorentzen flips through the panel’s final report and is surprised over the great results.
‘We came up with some concrete and definitely feasible suggestions,’ he says. Unfortunately, however, he feels that the work of the panel did not yield any clear political effects.
‘It was our own initiative to write the final report, and our recommendations were never really addressed by the politicians,’ he says.

Presence of the Finnish men’s movement

Since the panel was dissolved in 2008, the role of men in the gender equality work has been the focus of several government-led initiatives in the Nordic countries. In 2011, a special working group was formed in Iceland. It presented its final report about a year ago. In Sweden, a government report following a commission on men and gender equality was recently published, and just a few days ago a progress report was presented for a similar Finnish initiative.

Anders Ahlbäck, masculinity researcher at Åbo Akademi University, concludes after a quick comparison that the Finnish and Swedish commissions have a lot in common. They focus on essentially the same themes, such as men’s opportunities to combine work and family life, boys’ performance in school, men’s violence, the gender-segregated labour market and men’s risk-taking. But there are differences as well, he says. The Finnish commission has a stronger focus on the labour market, whereas the Swedes give more attention to issues related to ethnicity and sexuality. Ahlbäck also feels that the Finnish commission has a stronger emphasis on men’s vulnerability to discrimination for example in healthcare and in connection with child custody cases.
‘I can sense the presence of the Finnish men’s movement,’ he says and tells us that the movement is rooted in the perception that there is a lack of awareness around issues of importance to men.

Initially, the movement probably emerged as a reaction against the feminist movement and the strong focus in gender equality work on women, Ahlbäck speculates. But in its current form, the movement cannot be blamed for being antifeminist.

‘That would be to oversimplify things. The movement has developed and matured. It is attracting a new group of activists who have realised that gender equality is of concern to them,’ he says.

Need of practical progress

Ahlbäck is following the work of the Finnish commission with great interest, but he also thinks that Finland and maybe all Nordic countries are in need of practical progress and political reforms.
‘Many people seem to feel that the gender equality work has stalled. There are discussions and studies, and that’s good, but we also need to actually get things done,’ he says.

He describes it as Sweden, Norway and Iceland leading the way in the gender equality work overall, and also with respect to issues concerning men and masculinities. Steen Baagøe Nielsen, researcher at Roskilde University, agrees.
‘Denmark has never launched a national commission on men, and that’s too bad. In Sweden and Norway, scientific studies have helped stimulate a knowledge-based debate on gender issues,’ he says.

Norms an obstacle in Denmark

Inspired by the Norwegian men’s panel, Denmark made a similar attempt. The government appointed a panel but did not include any gender researchers or scholars, which drew criticism from the academic community. Subsequently, a group of about 30 researchers took the initiative to form their own panel. It discussed subjects such as family life, paternal leave and boys in school.
‘We need a stronger debate, but it has to be based on research,’ says Baagøe Nielsen.

‘There is no debate on norm criticism in Denmark, and there is no broad understanding of structural inequality. There is no radicalness, and the fundamental knowledge about gender equality issues is weak,’ he continues.
He feels that the political will regarding gender equality is lacking in Denmark. He also says that many young men are tired of the restrictive masculinity norms, so it would be incorrect to say that nothing is happening.

‘Many men want to take out more parental leave, but it’s not seen as legitimate in many workplaces. Nor is it legitimate for men to work in female-dominated occupations. Men who want to challenge the prevailing norms run into many obstacles, which calls for political initiatives,’ he says.
Baagøe Nielsen mentions the ‘anti-school’ culture among boys, the violence in men’s lives and relations, and fathers’ realistic opportunities to stay home with children as particularly important issues for politicians to tackle. These themes are emphasised as central by all researchers interviewed in this article.
‘Dads can’t be like satellites flying in and out of the home. Active and attentive fathering would increase the quality of life for both fathers and children,’ says Jørgen Lorentzen, who was on the Norwegian men’s panel.

He is convinced that both men and women have to act for the gender equality work to move forward.
‘It only makes sense, but it took us a long time to realise it,’ he says.

Although the Nordic countries have come a long way in their gender equality work, they have not been able to reduce the incidence of rape and sexual assaults. This is concluded by Siri Thoresen, one of the researchers behind a report on the incidence of violence and rape in Norway in a lifecycle perspective (in Norwegian). The report is based on a survey where Norwegian citizens describe their experiences of violence and assault. 9.4 per cent of the female respondents indicate that they have been raped, which implies that there has been no reduction from previous studies.
‘It’s problematic that the overall level of gender equality has improved without any noticeable decrease in sexual violence,’ says Thoresen.  

The study was conducted by the Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies as part of the Norwegian government’s action plan against domestic violence. The report was presented Wednesday. Coincidentally, a Swedish population study on women’s and men’s exposure to violence and the link with health (in Swedish) was presented the same day.

Both studies are based on a lifecycle perspective and show that individuals exposed to violence during childhood are more likely to experience violence later in life. There is also a connection between exposure to violence and mental problems, according to the Swedish study, which was conducted by the National Centre for Knowledge on Men’s Violence Against Women.

 One third of the victims never tell anyone

The two reports confirm each other and show that the violence is a widespread social problem in both Norway and Sweden. Both reports also indicate that especially sexual violence tends to occur in secrecy, and many victims do not seek medical attention and never receive help to deal with their experiences.

‘The taboo is so strong many victims choose not to talk about it,’ says Thoresen.
Almost one-third (29 per cent) of the female victims in the Norwegian study stated that they have never told anybody about the rape. Thoresen explains that the decision to keep quiet can be carefully deliberated.
‘Many rape victims feel that they somehow were at fault. Telling people implies a major social risk,’ she says.

Besides the incidence of rape, Thoresen finds the statistics on domestic violence noteworthy. About the same number of women and men report to have been exposed to mild violence by a partner, but women are more likely to have been victims of severe violence (9.2 per cent of women vs. 1.9 per cent of men).
Helena Ewalds, leader of a project on risk assessment in domestic violence initiated by the Nordic Council of Ministers,believes that domestic violence could be handled much better in the Nordic countries through better coordination.
‘It is not clear in all countries who is in charge of the violence prevention work,’ she says.

Preemptive work saves lives

The project has brought representatives from social services, healthcare and the police in the Nordic countries together to share experiences regarding risk assessment. The dialogue has revealed that the methods used vary. According to Ewalds, however, the biggest problem is that many public actors use no method at all.
‘Some think that it’s already part of their professional role to deal with these issues, but it’s not enough. They need these aids,’ she says.
She thinks that the work to prevent domestic violence should be structured better. It needs to be made more clear how the work should be carried out and who bears the chief responsibility. 
‘Doing this right may save lives, so it’s of course very important,’ she says, and Thoresen agrees.
She thinks that the actors involved are starting to realise that the violence causes health problems and is very expensive.
‘It’s becoming increasingly evident that these issues are worth focusing on,’ she says.

With four months to go, organizers Ásta Jóhannsdóttir and Arnar Gíslason say the conference is already looking promising and “it has received a lot of interest so far, and suggestions for workshops came from all over the world. Iceland is very much looking forward to hosting the event and inviting our colleagues, whether in the field of research or practical equality work, to Iceland on this occasion to join the dialogue. The topic has a wide appeal”, they say “and it is a fantastic chance for both newcomers as well as experts to come together, update ourselves on the latest developments in the field, and learn from each other. We have also been very fortunate to be able to bring some excellent researchers in the field to Iceland.”

The conference has attracted key-note speakers of the highest calibre, and these include Raewyn Connell (author of the groundbreaking Masculinities, 1995, and Confronting Equality, 2011) and Michael Kimmel (author of the influential Manhood in America, 1996, and The History of Men, 2005)

This is the third time that the Nordic Association for Research on Men and Masculinities (NFMM) holds such a conference in cooperation with the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Icelandic Ministry of Welfare, the Centre for Gender Equality in Iceland and the University of Iceland.

It stresses that prostitution violates human dignity and human rights, whether it is forced or voluntary, and calls on member states to find exit strategies and alternative sources of income for women who want to leave prostitution.

“Rather than blanket legalisation – which has been a disaster in Holland and Germany – we need a more nuanced approach to prostitution, which punishes men who treat women’s bodies as a commodity, without criminalising those who are driven into sex work,” said Mary Honeyball (S&D, U.K), who drafted the resolution. “We send a strong signal that the European Parliament is ambitious enough to tackle prostitution head on rather than accepting it as a fact of life.”

The non-binding resolution was adopted by 343 votes to 139, with 105 abstentions,

Reducing demand for prostitution

Most MEPs believe that one of the best ways to combat prostitution and trafficking of women and girls is the so-called Nordic model, followed in Sweden, Iceland and Norway. It views prostitution as a violation of human rights and as a form of violence against women and criminalises those who buy sex rather than those who sell it. They call on EU countries to take the Nordic model as an example.

Combating violence against women

In a separate resolution, voted on 25 February, MEPs say violence against women must be tackled at EU level. They call on the Commission to table legislation before the end of the year to prevent gender-based violence in the EU, adding that gender-based violence should be considered a crime.

Read the full press release.

Almost 20 years ago, the U.N. made an important contribution in the area of gender equality by adopting the Beijing Platform for Action, which supplements the Convention for the Elimination of all Discrimination against Women. The platform urged media to increase women’s opportunities in the industry and promote a balanced and non-stereotyped portrayal of women. Maria Edström, journalist and media researcher, says it is hard to say what has happened since then:
‘Gendered statistics are difficult to come by and without a proper assessment, we have nothing to work with.’

Gender equality work gets results

One important task of the Nordic Gender and Media Forum is to gather the available statistics and make them accessible. Several seminars focusing of various aspects of the media industry will be arranged this year. The next seminar will be held on 6 March in Sweden in connection with the Media Days, which is an event targeting media, organisations, businesses and universities. The seminar will focus on news media and initiatives to increase gender equality in news reporting.   ‘Both the EU and the European Council are acknowledging the role of media in the gender equality work, so this is definitely the right time to address these issues,’ says Edström.

A lot of work remains, but Edström can already see that the newsrooms are discussing gender equality issues in a different way than 20 years ago.
‘Back then, you could say that the sport pages only show men because men obviously run faster than women. That line of reasoning just doesn’t work today,’ she says.
She has noticed an increased understanding of how the choice of interviewee is connected to the news valuation.
‘It’s about which stories we choose to focus on,’ she explains and adds that this understanding is important outside the gender equality perspective as well.

‘Different power dimensions determine who are portrayed in media and which journalists are given attention at the media offices,’ she says.

Registration open for media conference

Nordic Gender and Media Forum is funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers and managed by Nordicom at the University of Gothenburg. The project will serve as a platform for discussion and sharing of experiences between activists, researchers and people who work with media.

On 7 May, the project is arranging a Nordic conference on gender equality in media, in connection with Media Days. The registration has just opened and the attendees can look forward to a full day with a special focus on successful gender equality initiatives in the media industry. Edström mentions Danish Kvinfo’s expert database and Swedish Equalisters as positive examples. They want to see broader representation in media and help connect journalists with experts in underrepresented groups.

Active legislation – a way forward

Some governments have actively pressured the media industry to improve the unbalanced representation. For example, since 2011, the Icelandic media law requires media offices to report the gender proportions of people portrayed.

Edström believes that legislation for keeping statistics on whose voices are heard in the media can be an effective tool to achieve change, although it may be controversial:
‘It may be perceived as a violation of the freedom of expression.’
If the industry wants to avoid legislation, she thinks it is about time to stand up and act responsibly.
‘Whether we work with film, news, advertising or computer games, we need to ask ourselves which picture we give of society,’ she says.

Now it´s time to start working on your  application. Just like the last time, you will need to have at least three Nordic countries in your application, and you can apply for activities such as conferences, meetings, networks etc. The activities are to be initiated during the autumn 2014 and to be finished within the year 2015.

The total sum is 2,7 million Danish crowns for Nordic gender equality co-operation.

Deadline for applications is the 24th of April 18.00 PM Swedish time. In August 2014 the decision will be acknowledged. Payment can be made ​​no earlier than one month after contracting and requisition of funds.

Read more about the process by following the link in the right menu.

– We have had a fantastic response from the civil society, government authorities and individuals. It really feels like we are doing this together. And we are now starting to see the results in the form of a broad, multi-faceted program, says Caroline Matsson, Conference Manager of Nordiskt Forum, in the press release.

The Nordiskt Forum program consists of a number of main tracks: the Arena Program, the Nordic Main Program, a performance art program and a film program, all put together by the organisers, as well as an Open Program that hundreds of other actors are a part of. In addition to the conference program, there is a large area with free admission that offers music, performances, talks, debates, different activities to try out, author talks and a large exhibition area with hundreds of exhibitors.

The Arena Program

You will find your favourites in the Arena Program, Great Actions, Great Ideas – star academics, top politicians, everyday heroes, activists, debaters, performers and cultural profiles – on the big stage. In short and striking speeches, talks and cultural events, you will see and hear good examples of how women’s rights and gender equality are advancing.

– The Arena offers a wide range of names. You will have the chance to see Sofi Oksanen, Catharine MacKinnon, Raewyn Connell, the gender photographer Tomas Gunnarsson, Gudrun Schyman, Alexandra Pascalidou, Soraya Post, Tiina Rosenberg, Birgitta Ohlsson and Kawa Zolfagary, to name a few. All of this together with cultural elements such as music and performance art. It will be a mix of perspectives and experiences that raises questions, brings renewed energy and stimulates all the senses.

The Nordic Main Program

The Nordic Main Program is the ideological core of Nordiskt Forum. Here, challenges in the Nordic countries will be analysed on the basis of the CEDAW Convention and the Beijing Platform for Action. During the four days of the conference, clear demands and proposals for the future will be formulated by the participants, based on the 12 themes of the conference. These will become the backbone of the final document that will be handed over to representatives of the Nordic governments and parliaments at the end of the conference. The Nordic Main Program will be put together by representatives of the Nordiskt Forum organisers, about 200 Nordic women’s organisations.

– The contents of this program are being worked on in the different organiser groups during the spring and the wider public will also have a say. Each theme will be addressed during two program sessions: the first session will consist of an overview of the current situation and the aim of the second session is to look forward and to draft new solutions and strategies.

The Open Program

In the Open Program, civil society organisations, activists, small associations and representatives from the women’s movement as well as representatives of industry, governments authorities, companies, political parties, trade unions, universities and other actors will organise their own program events.

– There has been an incredible push to participate. It is evident that feminism, gender equality and women’s rights are hot topics right now in the Nordic countries. And feminism is quickly becoming a hot topic in the election campaign, which will be noticeable in Malmö. We are now presenting the program events that are already fixed in the open program, four months in advance. There are a number of places left, so those of you who are putting the final touches on an idea or who think that there is something lacking in the existing selection are encouraged to get in touch with us!

Nordiskt Forum will take the pulse of current gender equality policy. The UN has not organised a global conference on gender equality and women’s rights in the past 20 years. The reason behind this is, among other things, that the reactionary tendencies in the world are so strong that there is a clear risk that the rights established at the last conference would be pushed back if the door were opened to new negotiations. The conference program and discussion are based on the CEDAW Convention and the Beijing Platform for Action. The aim is formulate new demands, commitments and strategies that will be turned over to the Nordic governments. Nordiskt Forum Malmö 2014 is organised by 200 organisations from the Nordic Women’s Movement in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

The program will continue to be filled during the spring.

– We have received many requests for different things from Queer Tango to Q&A sessions with politicians in the exhibition area to speed dating for those who want to find mentors. We are working to make all of these things happen. Anyone with something to contribute is encouraged to contact the project Secretariat – all ideas and contributions of work are welcome! There will also be several associated events before and during the week of the conference. In collaboration with Malmö City, we are organising a proper festival with a huge feminist celebration as the highlight on the Saturday evening.

This year’s priority theme is the challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals to promote gender equality and empower women and girls.

“The international community has succeeded in reducing child mortality, which is clearly a success. On the other hand, I am concerned about the setbacks in the struggle for a woman to have the right to decide over her own body. This is an issue that the Nordic countries have fought for in the UN and which we do not intend to give up”, say Eygló Harðardóttir, Chair of the Nordic Council of Ministers for Gender Equality 2014.

The Nordic countries are consistently in the top ten of the global gender equality index. On 13 March the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Nordic Consulates General will highlight the Nordic model for gender equality at an evening event in the UN headquarters. Using lectures, films and a panel debate, the event will investigate the opportunities for finding solutions for other countries in the world.

Stereotypes put obstacles in the way

In a joint panel discussion on 12 March on the theme Promoting Gender Equality and Empowering Women and Girls Through Education the Nordic ministers will share their experiences of strategic decisions, policies and concrete measures to get women and girls to consider natural science and technology to a greater extent when choosing their profession and to increase the number of women in senior positions.

On 13 March the Nordic Council of Ministers will take over Scandinavia House with the expert panel Do Everything: Break Stereotypes when Choosing Education and Work. The seminar will focus on the different challenges and obstacles to gender equality in education and working life that the Nordic Region still struggles with. The main focus will be on the fact that young people continue to make gender-stereotyped choices at all levels in education.

“In Iceland, we do not, for example, have one single male midwife today, in Denmark only a very few men have chosen this profession – and that is just one example. Everyone wins from breaking unnecessary stereotypes”, says Eygló Harðardóttir.