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Deconstructing structural inequality: gender equality in reindeer herding sámi communities


The primary purpose of the project was to develop a network to promote dialogue on gender-specific structural inequality in the reindeer herder communities. The participants contributed to the gathering of existing knowledge on the current situation of Sámi women in reindeer herding communities, in order to develop an understanding of the variation of roles of men and women in the communities. The project identified concerns and challenges that exist within the reindeer herding communities, related to gender inequality. The promotion of knowledge is aimed at developing recommendations for possible concrete actions in order to promote gender equality in the reindeer herder Sámi communities and in the Sámi community as a whole.

The overarching questions this project highlighted include: how structural inequality is perceived amongst Sámi reindeer herding communities, in particular of the Sámi inhabiting regions of the three Nordic countries (Finland, Norway and Sweden); what kind of gender-specific effects structural inequality may have in reindeer herding activities; how does structural inequality hinder, or negatively influence, the equal access to herding as livelihood practices for women; and how such practices provide implications for the enjoyment of human rights for the Sámi women.

The project resulted in a tool kit and a book Indigenous Peoples and Gender Equality with Special Reference to Sámi Reindeer Herding.

Updated 31 May 2021