Many Nordic municipalities and county councils are working actively to gender mainstream their operations and services, but sometimes the results are not disseminated well. How does the work differ among the Nordic countries and what can they learn from each other? These questions were on the agenda when the associations of local authorities arranged a joint workshop at the Nordic Forum in Malmö, Sweden in 2014. The network consisted of policymakers, practitioners and gender equality experts – over 100 people participated.

After the introductory meeting, the gender mainstreaming efforts in Nordic municipalities and county councils were documented with an ultimate aim to further improve the quality of the services citizens receive in the Nordic countries. The importance of integrating gender equality work in all operations was a key insight communicated to the participants. The participants also learned new methods and have continued their cooperation around gender mainstreaming after completing the project.