GENDER EQUALITY:
PROBLEMS, STRATEGIES AND
SOLUTIONS
Mari Teigen
Institute for Social Research
Bergen, 20. september 2012
Institutt for samfunnsforskning
www.samfunnsforskning.no
Outline
• Problems
• Strategies
• Solutions
Institutt for samfunnsforskning
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The Principle of Gender
Equality
• Parity Participation / Everyones right to
participate on an equal footing
• Economical participation
• Cultural participation
• Political participation
• Multi-dimensionality
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…. principle continues ……
• Multi-dimensionality
• Implications
Institutt for samfunnsforskning
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Policy for Equality
• Government commission to report on
Norwegian gender equality policy ++
• White paper I: Structure for Equality
• White paper II: Policy for Equality
Institutt for samfunnsforskning
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Four Areas of Priority
• Democracy
• Freedom of choice
• Redistribution
• Vulnerability
Institutt for samfunnsforskning
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Upper Secondary School
Type of
secondary
education
Women Men
General studies 55 % 45 %
Vocational –
Health and Care
88 % 12 %
Vocational –
Electricity and
Construction
5 % 95 %
Institutt for samfunnsforskning
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Higher education
0 %
10 %
20 %
30 %
40 %
50 %
60 %
70 %
80 %
90 %
100 %
Health&
Care
Pre-school p
ed
Socia
l su
bje
cts
Ped
agogy
Psycholo
gy
General teacher
Law
Med
icin
e
Bio
logy
Bu
sin
ess…
Physic
s&
Math
Math&
Stat
El&
Mec
IC
T
Men
Women
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Employment
• Stability in horizontal gender segregated patterns
• Women dominate the public sector, men in the private
sector
70 percent in public sector are women
Less than 40 percent in private sector are women
• 40 percent of all employed women work part-time
• Mechanism of public sector attraction for women
Institutt for samfunnsforskning
www.samfunnsforskning.no
Male-dominance in Norwegian
top-positions 2001 – 2011 (%)
63
70
76
80 81 84
93 94 96 100
59 59
75
65 64
77 77 78
87
96
0
20
40
60
80
100
2001
2011
Institutt for samfunnsforskning
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Male-dominance in Norwegian top-positions, total and
research & higher education 2001 – 2011 (%)
83 80
75
65
0
20
40
60
80
100
Elite - Total Research & higher education
2001
2011
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Family/Redistributive Policies
• Parental leave policies
• Kinder-gardens
Institutt for samfunnsforskning
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Mainstreaming Policies
• Integration of equality promotion in day-to-day
work
• Lack of monitoring and authority
• Large variation in scope and consistency
Conclusion:
Mainstreaming means ad hoc, isolated and project driven equality
work – no accumulation of knowledge and method development
Institutt for samfunnsforskning
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Positive Action Policies Field of society Types Adopted Procedures
Education
Preferential
treatment
Promoting
procedures
Upper secondary
education, 1982
Norwegian School of
Economics and Business
Administration, 1980
Norwegian University of
Science and Technology,
1981 (additional points)
1997 (earmarking
procedure)
Candidates of the
underrepresented gender
are given priority in cases
of equal qualifications
(same amount of school
points).
Additional school points
granted to applicants of
the underrepresented
gender; earmarking of
school/student places for
candidates of the
underrepresented gender,
with strict restrictions
according to
qualifications.
Employment
Preferential
treatment
State sector, 1981;
municipal sector, 1985
In recruitment and
promotions applicants of
the underrepresented
gender are given
preferential treatment
when qualifications are
equal or about equal.
Institutt for samfunnsforskning
www.samfunnsforskning.no
Quota/Parity Policies Field of society Types Adopted Procedures
Politics
Minimum
representation
Liberal Party 1974;
Socialist Left Party 1975;
Center Party 1979; Labour
Party 1983; Christian
Democratic Party 1989
Quotas (at least 40 % of
each gender) regulate
party election lists and
appointments within
party organisations in five
out of the seven major
political parties
Organizations
Minimum
representation
The Norwegian
Confederation of Trade
Unions, 2005
Quotas (at least 40 % of
each gender) regulate
composition of decision-
making bodies, as far as it
is possible
Publicly appointed
boards, councils
etc.
Minimum
representation
1981, first regulation,
1988, 40 per cent of each
gender, included in the
local government act, 1995
Minimum 40 % of each
gender should be
represented in publicly
appointed boards,
councils and committees
Corporate boards
Minimum
representation
Adopted 2003,
implemented for new
companies 2006, full
implementation 2008
Minimum 40 % of each
gender should be
represented in the boards
of publicly owned
enterprises and large joint
stock companies in the
private sector.
Institutt for samfunnsforskning
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Representation of women in boards of public
limited and private limited companies from 2002
- 2011
15 15 16
16
17 17 17 17 17
6 9 12
18
25
36
40 39 40
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
2002 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Private limited companies (AS) Public limited companies (ASA)
Institutt for samfunnsforskning
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Educational System
• Counter gender stereotypes from kinder-garden
to university
• Additional school points
• Incentive system - scholarships
Institutt for samfunnsforskning
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Labour Market
• Lack of public authority initiatives of systematic
and long-lasting initiatives to promote equality
in the labor market
• Three-partite cooperation on equality issues
• Activation of pro-active duties
Institutt for samfunnsforskning
www.samfunnsforskning.no
Gender Equality «Directorate»
• Specification and clarification of pro-active
duties
• Structure to ensure implementation and
coordination of equality policy
• Regional structure
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