We are now launching a publication that provides an introduction to the state of knowledge in the field of older LGBTI people’s living conditions and how researchers and other experts in the field describe urgent problems and knowledge gaps and identify actions required for change.

The publication summarises and provides an introduction to the state of knowledge in the field and how researchers and other experts describe problems and gaps in knowledge and identify actions required for change. It summarises the key messages from a high-level expert meeting held in connection with the launch of the Nordic report: “He went back into the closet”: Older LGBTI people’s interactions with health and social care in the Nordic countries.

The report’s title: “He went back into the closet” reflects the experiences of some older LGBTI people when they move into care homes where their needs are not properly met.

Key messages in selection

• Trans care is negatively affected by the fact that trans people are still pathologised in all the Nordic countries.
• There is a lack of research on health professionals in relation to LGBTI issues. More research is needed.
• There is a need for more knowledge on the specific health problems and diseases of older LGBTI people
• Better working conditions for health professionals lead to better care for LGBTI people.
• Provide funding for research and educational materials on older LGBTI people.

This research overview is based on a systematic overview of research and relevant literature from the Nordic countries between 2018 and 2022, with a focus on young men between the ages of 15 and 30 years.

The overall purpose of the overview is to highlight current knowledge about young men’s mental health problems by investigating what causes these problems, and their consequences.

The overview focuses in particular on knowledge about young men’s mental health in relation to current conditions and challenges in education and training and the workplace in the Nordic countries. 

When the Nordic Council of Ministers established the Nordic Gender Equality Fund in June 2013, the aim was to stimulate Nordic cooperation in the area of gender equality. Since then, the Fund has granted funding to NGOs, public authorities, researchers and networks within the context of 79 different projects.

In this publication, we present the experiences, insights and effects of these first ten years of the Fund. 

The publication in Nordic languages

Finnish:
Kymmenen vuotta yhteistyötä pohjoismaisen tasa-arvorahaston kautta (accessible online version)
PDF in Finnish for print

Icelandic:
Tíu ára samstarf gegnum Norrænan jafnréttissjóð (accessible online version)
PDF in Icelandic for print

Within the Nordic Council of Ministers’ program for sustainable lifestyles in the Nordics, NIKK has produced a research overview to make visible and challenge gender stereotypes in relation to consumption and lifestyle, and contribute to a better understanding of how differences arise, and how they are reinforced and reproduced.

Sustainable production and consumption, goal 12 in Agenda 2030, has been identified as one of the areas where the Nordic countries face the greatest challenges in the work for sustainable development. The overall international research situation regarding the climate impact of individuals’ consumption patterns shows, among other things, that socio-demographic factors such as gender, income and ethnicity have a great explanatory value. Research also shows that inequality itself, especially in high-income countries, leads to increased emissions from consumption.

In the Nordic countries, both education and the labour market are strongly gendersegregated. This segregation is both vertical and horizontal, meaning that women are found in different courses and study programmes and sectors of the labour market than men, and also find themselves in different positions in the hierarchies of education systems and working life. This gender segregation has consequences for study and working conditions, pay, and the distribution of power and resources.

Combating gender bias is one of the strategic areas of intervention in official Nordic cooperation in the area of gender equality. The Danish Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2020 therefore initiated a project that shed light on gendered educational choices in the Nordic countries. The Nordic Council of Ministers cooperation body Nordic Information on Gender (NIKK), located at the Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research, was commissioned to conduct a study focusing on gender segregation in VET in the Nordic countries.

The study provides an introduction to what we know about VET and gender as an area of knowledge, describes how VET in the Nordic countries is organised, and gives examples of how these countries have worked to break patterns of gender segregation and to retain pupils who belong to the under-represented sex. The study also includes a concluding analysis section which discusses the results of the survey conducted against the background of current knowledge in the field.

How are the Nordic countries handling the effects of COVID-19 on gender equality? The COVID-19 pandemic is presenting new challenges for gender equality, which has loomed large in Nordic gender equality co-operation since the outbreak of the pandemic. The risk of increased domestic violence when the community partially shuts down to reduce the spread of infection. Working life and the economy, unpaid care work and mental health issues are also areas that have been largely affected by the pandemic.

This publication summarises the knowledge produced thus far in the Nordic countries and brings together the gender equality initiatives and measures that the Nordic countries have initiated in relation to the pandemic. The publication aims to contribute to the sharing of knowledge and experience between the Nordic countries arising from the effects of the pandemic on gender equality. By learning from each other, the Nordic countries can decrease the risk for that the Corona crisis become a gender equality crisis.

The publication has been produced by Nordic Information on Gender (NIKK) and is based on data from the Nordic countries as well as interviews with researchers and experts.

This summary presents results from co-operation projects financed by the Fund that have contributed to gender equality in the workplace. The purpose of this summary is to share knowledge and experience from these projects in order to increase their impact so that they will benefit more people, and to inspire others to participate in Nordic co-operation projects.

The summary has been prepared by Nordic Information on Gender (NIKK), which is a co-operation body under the Nordic Council of Ministers. NIKK has the task of managing the Nordic Gender Equality Fund.

2020 marks the 25th anniversary of the adoption by 189 UN Member States of the Beijing Platform for Action – the most visionary agenda for gender equality and women’s rights. The anniversary provides an opportunity for a global review of the work on gender equality, and an assessment of the actions countries have taken to address the critical areas of concern addressed by the Platform.

The publication The Nordic road towards Beijing+25 describes the Nordic countries’ work on gender equality, summarising the countries’ progress reports in relation to the implementation of the Beijing Platform. It provides examples of actions, progress and experiences in six areas and identifies remaining challenges.

The publication is produced within the GenerationEqualityNordic project.