By Bosse Parbring
The initiative for a proposition on men and gender equality was taken by Karita Bekkemellem, the previous Norwegian Minister for Gender Equality. She also set up a Men’s Panel with the mission to encourage debate on the male role in the media and society at large. The proposition is planned to be presented in the Norwegian Parliament, Stortinget, in the spring of 2008 by the new Minister for Children and Equality, Manuela Ramin-Osmundsen:
- I am glad to be able to present a proposition on equality between the genders – with focus on men and male roles”, says Manuela Ramin-Osmundsen.
- Working for gender equality is not a thing just for women and girls. It is very much also a thing for boys and men. In fact, gender equality is a win-win situation – both for men and women, and, not least, for society and the creation of values. I invite boys and men to actively participate in the work.
- Traditionally in Norway, gender equality has been furthered by women and women’s organisations – who have successfully fought for important reforms which the public sector has implemented in co-operation with the parties on the labour market. I’m referring to the equality legislation, the parent allowance system, the working environment act, initiatives for equal pay, comprehensive day-care, and so on, says Manuela Ramin-Osmundsen.
Unique survey of gender equality
At this stage, the proposition seems to have the following structure:
- An information-based section, which presents the findings of gender research on the lives of boys and men.
- Boys and their adolescence.
- Men, education and vocational choices.
- Men between family and work.
- Men’s close relations.
- Costs for men because of lack of gender equality (men top all statistics on ill health, violence and criminality).
As a basis for the preparation, an extensive and unique survey has been carried out, where 2,800 men and women have been interviewed. They answered questions pertaining to gender equality from childhood and adolescence, to education, working life, earlier and present relations, violence and the division of resources in the household. The attitudes towards gender equality have also been studied. The study is carried out by researchers at NIKK and the Norwegian Work Research Institute.
This survey is a follow-up of a similar survey conducted in 1988, also commissioned by the Norwegian Government, which had appointed a Male Role Committee. The 1988 survey showed that many men who think that gender equality in general has developed far enough, at the same time support more concrete equality demands, such as longer parental leave for fathers.
- One of the aims of the new study is to reveal such potential for future gender equality politics, says NIKK Director of Research, Øystein Gullvåg Holter, who conducted the first survey in 1988 and who is also one of the researchers involved in the new study.
The suggestions of the Male Role Committee resulted, among other things, in the introduction of the so-called father quota in 1993, which meant that four weeks of the parental leave could only be taken by the father. Later the Norwegian father quota has been lengthened to six weeks.
- The design of the survey in 1988 was ahead of its time, says Øystein Gullvåg Holter.
- It was inspired by Nordic relational gender research, developed by, among others, Hanne Haavind, Norwegian Professor of Psychology. It had a life cycle design and focused on all the relations that influence equality in various areas.
- In the new survey, the design has been refined; there are more, and more detailed, questions. A larger emphasis than before is put on practices. The 1988 study was criticized for describing what men thought, not what they did. Both aspects are included in a clearer mode in the new survey.
- The objective is to disclose the ‘anatomy’of gender equality, says Øystein Gullvåg Holter.
- To get to know the dimensions of gender equality and how these are interconnected.
- The results from the survey will be published in the beginning of 2008. A similar study is expected to be carried out also
in other countries, both Nordic and others.
Boys lose in school
One question that has been discussed in all Nordic countries is that boys do not do as well in school as girls do. Several studies in Norway and other countries show that boys underachieve compared to girls. Therefore the parliamentary proposition will greatly emphasize the situation of boys in child care, education, sports and culture.
- An important prerequisite is to prepare for a long-term behavioural and cultural change, so that boys and girls as individuals
aren’t socialised into differences already in childhood, and encounter problems as adults, says Manuela Ramin-Osmundsen.
- In addition, girls and boys have identities connected with ethnic origin or affiliation – these must also be respected and
included.
Child care and the lower levels of the educational system are dominated by female staff.
- One challenge is to increase the number of men and make teachers more gender conscious, says Erik Hauglund, officer responsible for the proposition at the Ministry of Children and Equality.
- Those trained to be teachers hardly get to know anything about the fact that they have a gender which is of importance in
teaching, he says.
- Teacher students must be taught to be more conscious of how they act in relation to the children, based on gender.
- Child care provisions and schools also need more men, says Erik Hauglund.
- What do children learn when they spend five years in day-care and several years at school without meeting any men? A 15-year-old
boy is not likely to consider working at a nursery school.
- I think we can’t call ourselves a gender equal nation until there are as many men in day-care centres and schools as there
are women in the board rooms of private enterprises or share holders at the Exchange, says Minister for Children and Equality
Manuela Ramin-Osmundsen.
- In addition I want to underline that the gender balance in all areas of society should be followed by a greater diversity
in general, for example with people of minority ethnic origin or with functional disorders.
Fathers to spend more time at home
Another much debated issue is the parental leave and the father quota. The Nordic countries have, to varying extents and with various methods, introduced measures aiming at getting more fathers to take more practical responsibility for their children and family.
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| - I’m glad that fathers demand more time with their children, whether they live with them or not, says Minister for Children and Equality Manuela Ramin-Osmundsen. |
- Our society is still characterised by strong gender stereotypes which are reproduced through a very gender-segmented working life and gender-traditional educational choices among young people, says Manuela Ramin-Osmundsen.
- Traditional stereotypes unfortunately also dominate in the homes, where obviously the father is still mostly ‘work and overtime oriented’ and the mother mostly ’caring and child oriented’. Is this optimal for the children? For the use of all available competence in our working life and industry?
Many of those working in the area of gender equality want to extend the quota allocation of the parental leave so that a larger part can be used by men only. Three main models are being discussed:
- extending the father quota somewhat;
- dividing the parental leave into three parts according to the Icelandic model – one for each parent and one to be shared according to choice;
- introducing an gender equality bonus according to the Swedish model which financially rewards those parents who share the leave equally.
Manuela Ramin-Osmundsen does not yet want to comment on what proposals the Norwegian Government will present in this area.
- I’m glad that fathers demand more time with their children, whether they live with them or not. It’s wonderful that some fathers take out more than the compulsory 6 weeks during the year of parental leave, but 17 per cent is far too few in the future.
Continued use of violence
- At the same time I’m worried for the fact that boys and men score negatively on a number of lifestyle indicators and in
criminal statistics; they drop out of school, are marginalised in working life and simply don’t feel equal in custody and
access cases, says Manuela Ramin-Osmundsen.
- There is still a lot of domestic and other unmotivated violence, and it’s mainly men who are violent – towards women, children
and each other.
- Therefore it’s time for us to make a comprehensive survey of the gender equality situation in Norway, but with a particular
focus on men, boys and male roles. We shall point to ways of moving forward and invite the Parliament to discuss the challenges
from a wide perspective. I will concentrate on formulating a proposition based on information, statistics and measures of
attitudes. I’m happy that the extensive survey of women’s and men’s attitudes to gender equality has been carried out.
- I’ll pay careful attention to the suggested actions in the proposition and clearly state what the public sector can and must do, and what belongs to civil society, NGOs and families; preferably in collaboration with state and local authorities, says Minister for Children and Equality Manuela Ramin-Osmundsen.
