No law without crisis
When the law on joint stock companies was revised in the wake of the Icelandic financial collapse, the feminists of the Althing saw their chance. They seized the moment and added a paragraph on mandatory gender quotas for executive boards. Read more
Sleeping on the job
In the Swedish parliament, horizontal gender segregation has decreased in recent years. In the Norwegian parliament, however, it has increased. What is actually happening? Read more
Clear gender equality policies give diplomacy bonus
Gender equality at top level diplomacy in the Nordic countries has improved markedly – the number of female ambassadors is increasing, and young ones are up and coming. This has been achieved by means of set strategies and concrete targets for gender equality. Read more
The Nordic countries are no longer the best in the world
The socio-political debate, the attention paid to gender equality issues and pressure from the women's movement are crucial to progress in gender equality. This is one of the key results from NIKK's research project on gender and power in politics and business. Read more
The gatekeepers need to be pressured
There are far more women in the Norwegian government than there are in top positions within the Norwegian world of business. Why is this the case? Read more
Women not embarrassed by quota law
There isn’t much to say about the recent law on gender quotas in public joint stock companies. It has been introduced, and it works, says Siri Fürst, board member in one of Norway’s approximately 400 joint stock companies. Read more
A new Iceland is being built
The Icelandic financial crisis was caused by a clique of men within politics and business who were too closely associated with each other. This is the view of many Icelanders. They want to see a fundamental change to this situation when the new Iceland is rebuilt. Read more
Margot Wallström on leadership and politics
”As long as politics is male dominated, there will be a need for female networks, for mobilising and supporting female politicians who advocate other and different solutions, based on their perspectives and experiences,” says Margot Wallström, Vice-President of the European Commission. Read more
Somebody is making you feel stupid!
“Hearing that you’re not stupid has a liberating effect.” So says Berit Ås, known for her theory on master suppression techniques. At 80, she and her work continue to attract wide interest. Read more
The road towards 40%
“I hope the quota legislation will pave the way for an alternative form of thinking within business – including among those companies not covered by the law,” says Valgerd Svarstad Haugland. Read more
Gender equality only where visible
“The lack of women leaders is not a luxury problem. It is a question of democracy and justice,” says Professor Anita Göransson from Sweden, who is engaged in research on elites in society. Read more
Taboo broken in Denmark
The Danish Social Democrats have suggested the introduction of gender quotas in order to get more women onto company boards. In Sweden, the proportion of women in this sector has remained unchanged over the last few years. Read more
European Parliament shows little interest
“The Gender Equality Committee of the European Parliament runs the risk of being abolished,” says Committee Vice Chair Eva-Britt Svensson. Several Nordic MEPs paint a gloomy picture of gender equality in the European Parliament. Read more
Changing the Patterns of Gender and Power in Society
Both a Danish and a Norwegian study of power and democracy have focused on changes in gendered power but, characteristically, the Norwegian study is much more extensive in this respect than the Danish one. This is related to the research interests among the members of the two research groups that have coordinated the power studies. It can, however, also be seen in relation to the more limited interest in gender in the general Danish social debate. The studies’ projects on gender make it clear that there is a need for developing a comprehensive and dynamic understanding of power, which can capture the complexity of the relations between gender and power. At the same time, the projects reflect the fact that gender research has moved beyond the polarised interpretations that often characterised discussions in the 1990’s. Read more
Scandinavian Democracies: Disintegrating or in Good Health?
This autumn saw the conclusion of several years’ extensive work in both Norway and Denmark on analyses of power and democracy. Despite the many similarities between these two Scandinavian societies the two government initiated studies have arrived at conclusions which differ widely from each other. Whilst three of the five researchers in charge of the Norwegian study conclude that democracy is disintegrating, the unanimous conclusion of the Danish research team is that their democracy is healthy and efficient. This variance in the final diagnoses demonstrates how important it is that power research states its points of reference and gives an account of its premises and perspectives. Even the grand diagnostic ambition of power research when initiated as an official study might profit from problematisation. Read more
The Universe of Gender Quotas
The manner in which gender and quotas is discussed in the political debate on gender equality can largely be sorted into two main stances; the discourse of rights, and the utilitarian discourse. This article discusses the Norwegian discourse in relation to the gender equality discourses in other European countries. Read more
