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New assignments for NIKK on sexual harassment, working life in the future and LGBTI issues in the Nordic region

NIKK has been assigned three new projects, all beginning in 2019. These assignments focus on mapping research and knowledge about sexual harassment in working life, sustainability and gender equality in the high-tech working life of the future, and mapping and analysing the LGBTI field in the Nordic region. The projects will contribute towards increased knowledge and quality within Nordic gender equality work in each individual area.

Sustainability and gender equality in the high-tech working life of the future

The future labour market will be digitalised, robotised and automated, resulting in certain jobs disappearing and a growing demand for employment in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) sector. In view of the fact that the labour market is divided up by gender and that the proportion of women within this sector is low, this may have long-term implications in terms of gender equality in the Nordic labour market. The Nordic Council of Ministers’ working life, gender equality, education and research sectors and the Nordic cooperation programme Generation 2030 have therefore tasked NIKK with producing a knowledge base. This will involve investigating how the Nordic nations are working to achieve a better gender balance in education and professions as demanded within the natural sciences and technology, and how this is expected to contribute towards sustainability and gender equality in future labour markets.

The assignment will result in:

  • A Nordic overview of existing research in connection with gender-related study choices within the STEM sector
  • An inventorying of concrete initiatives within the Nordic region to reduce the gender imbalance within STEM
  • An analysis of inventoried initiatives
  • An outlook of how a selection of other countries outside the Nordic region promote a gender balance within STEM

Project period: June 2019 to December 2020
Project budget: DKK 800,000

Mapping and analysis of the LGBTI field in the Nordic region

New formal Nordic cooperation on equal treatment and rights for LGBTI individuals began in 2020. In order to ensure that this cooperation is reliable, effective and lasting, NIKK has been tasked by the Nordic Council of Ministers with mapping and analysing the LGBTI field.

The assignment will result in:

  • Mapping that highlights national conditions regarding legislation and administrative structure within the LGBTI field, the themes and initiative areas in focus at national level, and inspiration models for Nordic cooperation.
  • A consultation process in which organisations within civil society, agencies and other players working for the equal rights of LGBTI individuals in the Nordic region will be given the opportunity to contribute towards identifying the themes and initiative areas that should be prioritised by Nordic cooperation within the LGBTI field.
  • Analysis and recommendations based on this mapping and consultation. These recommendations should be aimed at the Nordic Ministers for Gender Equality, and should indicate the themes and initiative areas, initiatives and partners for the LGBTI field.

The Nordic Ministers for Gender Equality shall discuss the recommendations and then adopt the strategic initiative areas that bring the greatest possible Nordic benefit within the LGBTI field. The overall objective, initiative areas and subsidiary goals shall subsequently be compiled in a supplement to the Nordic Co-operation Programme on Gender Equality 2019-2022.

Project period: September 2019 to May 2020
Project budget: DKK 500,000

Nordic knowledge boost on sexual harassment: a pilot study

Through its gender equality cooperation, the Nordic Council of Ministers has initiated a research-based pilot study to highlight gaps in knowledge on sexual harassment in working life, and to draw up proposals on the action to be taken. NIKK has been tasked with carrying out the pilot study, to be completed in March 2020. The Nordic Ministers for Gender Equality have also decided to fund a Nordic research initiative which, based on the proposals from the pilot study, will contribute towards increasing knowledge of sexual harassment in working life and will form the basis for future initiatives to combat sexual harassment. There is an obvious need within the Nordic region for greater knowledge about gender-based vulnerability in working life and sustainable ways to tackle the problem. Investigations and mappings have previously been initiated in the individual countries, but there is no joint Nordic overview.

The assignment will result in:

  • Research-based mapping of recently completed and ongoing research projects, mappings and other relevant studies within the Nordic region related to gender-based vulnerability in the labour market.
  • A summary of the comparative Nordic need for knowledge that has emerged within the framework of Nordic cooperation work on #MeToo issues.
  • A presentation of how a three-year research programme should be structured. Thematic content, funding, advertising formats and follow-up and evaluation are included in the assignment.

Project period: September 2019 to March 2020
Project budget: DKK 500,000

Updated 15 November 2019