New issue of NIKK magasin: Gender and climate change
News
Global interest in Nordic gender equality
"The welfare state has been one of the key reasons why the Nordic Region has made progress towards gender equality," the Norwegian Minister for Gender Equality, Audun Bjørlo Lysbakken, tells the UN. "It has allowed women to combine family and work."
06.03.2010
Nordic Children's and Youth Committee Action Plan 2010–2013
The strategy is based on the following vision: To make the Nordic Region the best place in the world for children and young people.
05.03.2010
The Golden Age of Gender Equality
“We now have a unique historical opportunity to do something about the gender imbalance in Norwegian research,” says Professor Hanne Haavind, who has recruiting advice for leaders who want to seize the day.
05.03.2010
"We must combat violence against women"
"As long as women are subjected to violence, we will never achieve gender equality – in the north or the south," Lysbakken, the Norwegian minister, said in his opening speech to delegates from all over the world at the UN CSW in New York.
03.03.2010
Nordic support for new UN entity for gender equality
The Nordic countries support the setting up of a new UN entity for gender equality and the advancement of women. This was apparent when the Nordic ministers for gender equality recently spoke at the UN Session of Commission on the Status of Women (CSW54) and participated in a Nordic seminar.
02.03.2010
Realizing human rights
A main priority for Norway’s membership in the Council is to initiate concrete steps to give real effect to women’s rights and dignity. A key measure is to establish a mandate on laws that discriminate against women, says State Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gry Larsen.
02.03.2010
Research results summarised in new brochure
This brochure presents the results of the year-long research project "Gender and power in the Nordic countries", which focused on top positions in two sectors of society: Politics and Business.
25.02.2010
NordForsk Director sees opportunities for gender research
“Nordic gender research is successful and ought to be an area where co-operation creates added Nordic value.” This is an opinion expressed by Gunnel Gustafsson, new Director of NordForsk.
23.02.2010
When feminism legitimizes war
The war in Afghanistan is a war to liberate women, supporters claimed. Eight years later the voices that spoke on behalf of Afghan women have fallen silent. “The women were used in a rhetoric of silence," according to researcher Berit von der Lippe.
22.02.2010
Changing the discipline attracts women
New academic perspectives pave the way for a greater number of women to participate in the discipline, according to Professor of Theology Halvor Moxnes. He has worked hard for the inclusion of gender perspectives in theology, and believes that this is important for the recruitment of female researchers.
22.02.2010
The Norwegian School of Sport Sciences receives the Gender Equality Award for 2009
“A very surprising and generous recognition of our efforts to promote gender equality,” says Rector Sigmund Loland.
15.02.2010
Challengers of manliness
Our traditional view of manliness contributes to create a framework in which men can also be victims of sexual abuse, according to Torbjørn Herlof Andersen. The researcher has studied men who have been sexually abused and he shows how they cope with their painful experiences.
04.02.2010
Norwegian support for women in Madagascar
The Royal Norwegian Embassy, Madagascar has provided The Electoral Institute of South Africa with a grant of 6 mill NOK to provide capacity-building support to women in Madagascar to ”increase the participation of women in public problem-solving, decision-making and management institutions by 30% in 2012”.
22.01.2010
To the Committee on the Rights of the Child
Opening address by Minister for Children, Equality and Social Inclusion, Audun Lysbakken, at the examination of Norway’s 4th Periodic report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child.
21.01.2010
Lysbakken faces questions in Geneva
Norway's Minister of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion, Audun Lysbakken, will be questioned by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. He will account for Norway's efforts to fulfill terms of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. This will be the first time a Norwegian minister of children's affairs has come before the committee.
21.01.2010
Education for all becoming harder to achieve
With a view to strengthening girls’ right to education, Norway provides NOK 500 million this year to United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for its efforts to promote primary education and gender equality.
20.01.2010
Incentive scheme launched
The percentage of women in top-level academic positions in mathematics, natural science and technology must increase. This is according to the Norwegian Government, which has now set aside NOK 10 million to speed up the process. The money will be used to reward universities and university colleges that raise the percentage of female academic staff during 2010.
19.01.2010
Portrait: No prima donna
According to colleagues, she is one of the most important scholars on children and gender in the world. So how come she is proofreading texts for colleagues at the Centre for Gender Research at the University of Oslo?
19.01.2010
Wants to be a role model
“It’s possible for women to be managers in male-dominated research fields. Just come to SINTEF and see for yourself," says Marie-Laure Olivier. She should know what she is talking about. Marie-Laure has always been surrounded by men.
18.01.2010
Unsuccessful strategy
All the fuss about recruitment destroys young women’s interest in natural science, according to educational researcher Guðrún Jónsdóttir.
08.01.2010
Commission on Child Welfare Experts
A commission has been created to strengthen legal protections in child welfare cases by exerting quality control of all reports submitted by forensic experts in such cases, whether the reports are ordered by child welfare officials, county social welfare boards, the courts or the private parties involved.
08.01.2010
A balancing act
Getting married was not the only way for a woman to live her life, even in the 1800s. As art historian Jorunn Veiteberg shows in her new biography of the Norwegian sculptor Ambrosia Tønnesen, an alternative lifestyle was not necessarily filled with self-denial and loneliness.
21.12.2009
The door opener
It is pointless to start a search for female applicants one week before the application deadline. If you want to increase the number of women in a male-dominated field, you have to make long-term plans. This is according to Tor Grande, who recently stepped down as head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).
18.12.2009
Regional differences in gender equality
The municipalities with most equality are mainly found in the central and inland area of Eastern Norway. Many municipalities with the most equality are also found in the municipalities of Sogn og Fjordane, Troms and Finnmark. All of the six largest towns and cities - Oslo, Kristiansand, Stavanger, Bergen, Trondheim and Tromsø – are also among the municipalities with most equality
17.12.2009
Norway co-hosts debate on rights of sexual minorities
Human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity was the topic of a panel debate that Norway organized with the UN Permanent Missions of Argentina, Brazil, Croatia, France and the Netherlands.
09.12.2009
Always aware
“We don’t discuss gender equality very much; after all, it’s an integral part of our job,” says Vice-Dean Helge Klungland of the Faculty of Medicine at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). “Nobody is hired or granted project funding here without gender equality being part of the process.”
11.12.2009
Harassment leads to sport drop-out
Studies suggest that sexual harassment can cause female athletes to leave the field of sport. “This means that harassment may lead to big losses for sport,” says Professor Kari Fasting, Norway’s foremost expert on the subject.
09.12.2009
Norway in UNHRC: Will promote human rights worldwide
Norway is a member of the UN Human Rights Council for the period 2009-2012. We will participate actively in the Council and work systematically to strengthen the rights of women and children.
08.12.2009
Gender equality – a leadership responsibility
This was the clear message from the CEO of the SINTEF Group, Unni Steinsmo, when she opened a conference on gender equality in the independent research institutes.
03.12.2009
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.
24.11.2009
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?
24.11.2009
Effort to end violence against women
Norway's Minister of Justice, Knut Storberget, has long campaigned to get men to condemn violence against women, both at home and abroad. Recently he helped launch the UN Secretary-General's Network of Men Leaders to end violence against women, in New York.
24.11.2009
Norway provides NOK 60 million to promote women’s rights
Norway will provide NOK 40 million (USD 7 million) to UN efforts to combat female genital mutilation and violence against women in developing countries. At the same time, Norway will contribute NOK 20 million (USD 3.5 million) to the new UN Fund for Gender Equality.
24.11.2009
Action plan to combat domestic violence
We must take action. It is our responsibility to safeguard the right of both women and men to a life free of violence and threats of violence, and to ensure that children can grow up without suffering abuse or fear. Through improved prevention, more detection, more rapid reaction and better rehabilitation, we will promote a safer, fairer society.
24.11.2009
Child care: Parents’ private problem?
Scandinavian parents have no doubt that the state is responsible for providing day care centres for children from the age of one. In much of Europe, though, day care for children is a private problem for parents, which they must solve with the least amount of trouble for their bosses and colleagues.
23.11.2009
Greater equality in politics, business lags behind
Pressure from the women's movement and the attention paid to gender-equality issues have been crucial to women's progress in politics in the Nordic countries over the last 15 years. However, men still dominate business and industry, according to a comprehensive Nordic research project on gender and power in politics and business.
18.11.2009
Why women can't ski jump in the Winter Olympics
Women ski jumpers sue for the right to compete in the Vancouver Olympics and to stop men from jumping if women can't. Also Norwegian female ski jumpers have been active in the effort to allow women compete in the Olympic Games. As late as February this year the first women's ski jumping world championship were held.
11.11.2009
New report: Few women leaders in the research institute sector
The better the gender balance, the more we benefit from the pool of researcher talent. This is the argument made by the independent research institutes for their own gender equality efforts. However, a new study shows that women are in short supply at the highest levels of research and in leadership positions within the sector.
10.11.2009
Equality ministers discuss gender and the financial crisis
It is important to be aware that economic crises affect the genders differently. There is a great deal of evidence to suggest that it is young men in the Nordic Region who are facing the toughest time on the job market in the wake of the crisis.
05.11.2009
Not feminized, but modernized
In the public debate Norwegian schools are criticized for being feminized. But according to Professor Harriet Bjerrum Nielsen, it is not the schools that are poorly suited to boys - it is the girls who are better suited to the demands of modern working life.
04.11.2009
Commitment to gender equality will continue
The Norwegian Government will extend the term of the national committee that promotes gender equality. It is also proposing financial rewards for institutions that employ women in high-level positions in the male-dominated natural sciences.
22.10.2009
Speech at the Third EU Anti Trafficking Day
Norway is a destination country. Victims of trafficking are recruited outside Norway’s borders. We wish to prevent trafficking by reducing some of the factors that support recruitment in countries of origin.
20.10.2009
Successful Russian crisis centres
The health services, police and judicial system in Russia tend not to understand that women need protection against violence within the home. But Russian crisis centres have become quite adept at manoeuvring within the system to help women who are victims of domestic violence, says political scientist Kirsti Stuvøy.
19.10.2009
Advance women, advance all
When the UN General Assembly today discussed the main challenges to the advancement of women, Norway pointed to the root causes of the problem: Conservative and archaic attitudes, often with cultural and religious connotations, leave women and girls at the margins of society in many parts of the world.
12.10.2009
More women in technology
2009 seems to be a record-breaking year concerning gender balance in the technology department at the University of Oslo. 35 per cent of the doctor’s degrees were conferred to women.
07.10.2009
Change from the top down
What does it take to change the gender balance in the most male-dominated physical sciences? This is an issue that Jan Petter Hansen of the University of Bergen knows a lot about. Under his leadership, the percentage of women in the Department of Physics and Technology is finally on the rise.
02.10.2009
An eye for the unseen
Eye, space and body - these are three key words that apply not only to the work of art historian Anne Wichstrøm on female artists from 1850 to 1900, but also to her own life.
01.09.2009
A Woman’s Place is in the Boardroom
A BBC World News documentary about the change in the Norwegian company law regarding quota regulations demanding 40 per cent representation of each gender in boards.
28.09.2009
Integration of a gender perspective in the Universal Periodic Review
There are several issues posing gender related challenges in Norway. In addition to a broader chapter on gender equality, the UPR-report addresses issues such as trafficking, forced marriages, multiple forms of discrimination, lack of women on the boards of limited companies and gender based differences in wages.
28.09.2009
Norway condemns violations of human rights
The Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo must take necessary action and the international community must assist. Rapists and perpetrators of sexual violence against women and girls must be held accountable and punished, says ambassador Bente Angell-Hansen.
22.09.2009
Women NGOs are important in political strategies
Norway encourages Gambia and Senegal to listen to women NGOs in their work to end forced marriages, female genital mutilation and other important women's issues.
22.09.2009
Always a difficult choice?
The presumed vulnerability of women seeking an abortion limits the Norwegian debate on abortion - in both directions.
15.09.2009
Commission on Paternity
The Norwegian Government is concerned with major social and technological developments that have taken place with regard to developments in family patterns, the possibility of assisted fertilisation and establishment of paternity with a high degree of certainty, and has thus appointed a Commission.
11.09.2009
Rigid structures and reluctant men
Norway and Sweden are held up as shining examples when gender equality in academia is discussed in a European context. But even in these countries, political efforts to achieve the objectives of gender balance must continue. Key challenges are rigid structures and the men who dominate academia.
04.09.2009
Half of young females have higher education
Half of the females aged 25 to 29 years have now attained a tertiary education. Less than 30 per cent of the population in Norway has attained less than upper secondary education, and at least one out of five have higher education in all counties.
25.08.2009
Parodic, political pop
Artists such as David Bowie, Morrissey and Robbie Williams have changed our ideas about what a man is and should be, according to Stan Hawkins, who has written a book on the phenomenon of pop dandyism.
19.08.2009
Norway and the US build hospital for rape victims in DR Congo
Norway and the US are joining forces to build a hospital for the victims of sexualised violence in eastern Congo. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced the new Norwegian-American initiative when she visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo this week.
14.08.2009
Award strengthens commitment
Receiving the Gender Equality Award from the Ministry of Education and Research has generated enthusiasm, more room for action and increased focus on gender equality efforts, according to last year’s two prize winners. This year’s call for nominations is now underway.
10.08.2009
Mapping of fathers' use of paternity and parental leaves
How frequently do Nordic fathers use paternity leaves? And what share of the parental leave periods is used by fathers? These questions are addressed by researcher Anita Haataja in her newly published working paper.
17.07.2009
Action Plan for Gender Equality
Gender equality work requires us to act here and now but also entails systematic and long-term work on attitudes. This Action Plan deals with the most important measures the Ministry of Education and Research wishes to implement to promote gender equality in kindergartens and primary and secondary education and training.
15.07.2009
Partner violence continues after break-up
Violence inflicted by an intimate partner lasts longer if the couple has children together, and the violence continues after the relationship ends. In addition, children are harmed more by witnessing violence between their parents than previously thought.
09.07.2009
Dangerous boys – unprotected girls
When children are placed in state custody, their gender is not irrelevant. Society must be protected against the boys, while the girls must be protected against society and themselves.
24.06.2009
A golden opportunity
National action plans to implement the European Research Area (ERA) are now being drawn up. Hans M. Borchgrevink of the Research Council of Norway believes this is the chance to put gender equality on the EU’s agenda, but quick action is required.
24.06.2009
Public policies supporting the wish to have children
Family policy shall facilitate the reconciliation of family and work-life, and assure both parents and the single provider the possibility to combine family life and work. Today, there is a web of arrangements, schemes and legal measures for families with children designed to reconcile family and work, says State Secretary Lotte Grepp Knutsen in a speach held at the Council of Europe Conference of Ministrers responsible for family affairs.
24.06.2009
Women and violence – from UN resolutions to practice
We all have to do our part to bring crimes of rape and sexual violence in armed conflict and crisis higher on the international security policy agenda. The systematic use of rape is a war crime. It is not a “women’s issue" alone; it is a core security issue of our time and requires strategic comprehensive response from all relevant parts of the international community, says State Secretary for International Development Håkon Arald Gulbrandsen.
19.06.2009
The Minister speaks about transgender health
The right to live a safe life without harassment is a basic Human right. It needs to be at the centre of any government’s attention, says Minister of Children and Equality Anniken Huitfeldt.
19.06.2009
Statistics on kindergartens
Only nine per cent of the employees in kindergartens are men. 96 per cent of children aged 3-5 years attend kindergarten, and nine out of ten children in kindergarten attend full-time places.
15.06.2009
Wants more gender equality
Ulla-Britt Lilleaas has been appointed the new leader of the Center for Gender and Equality at the University of Agder. One of the things she wants to focus on is why the Agder region, in the south of Norway, frequently scores low on gender equality indexes.
10.06.2009
New interest in networks
- We are finding that we fill a gap, says Laila Bokhari, who is coordinator of Women and Security, one of the 15 new and existing networks gaining new impetus this spring with funding from the Committee for Mainstreaming - Women in Science.
28.05.2009
Less females completed tertiary education
Less females completed tertiary education for the first time in several years in 2007/08. Fewer tertiary degrees were completed in particular in the field of Health, welfare and sport, but the number remained stable in Science. Forty-five per cent of doctoral degrees were awarded to women.
26.05.2009
Lego - not for girls?
In kindergarten the boys make lots of noise and play with Lego, but they also like to spend time playing with dolls. The girls, on the other hand, stick to doing “girls’ stuff". A new report concludes that Norwegian kindergartens are failing to promote gender equality.
20.05.2009
New white paper on research policy
In April 2009 the Norwegian Government presented a new white paper on research policy. In the report the Government confirms its commitment to gender equality in research, but critics say progress is too slow.
11.05.2009
Wants science girls to tell their stories
The majority of young girls reject science studies, but not everyone. What makes girls choose these male-dominated subjects? That is what researcher Marianne Løken wants to find out.
05.05.2009
Norwegian Gender Privilege: A View from the American Academy
Marcia Inhorn, who is Professor II at the University of Bergen, here gives her view on the situation for women in science in Norway and the U.S. She perceives Norway as a gender progressive country and is impressed by the “gender privilege" she finds Norwegian women researchers to have.
04.05.2009
The narrow framework of transsexualism
It is often said that transsexuals are “born in the wrong body". But does “the right body" have to be either a woman’s or a man’s body?
17.04.2009
Speech at the International Conference on Female Genital Mutilation in the EU
The first Norwegian Action Plan to combat FGM was published in 2000. The present plan, which is the 3rd one, runs till 2011. Its main objective is prevention. The focus is on changing attitudes through dialogue and dissemination of information involving the groups concerned. Changing perceptions and attitudes will take time, but we believe this to be the right approach in the long run, says State Secretary Lotte Grepp Knutsen.
17.04.2009
Excellent – but not equal
More men than women receive funding when the Research Council of Norway grants money for outstanding research. Susanne Moen Stephansen has looked at how the attempts to bring more gender equality into these schemes have worked.
01.04.2009
Nordic Statement on UN Gender Reform
A joint Nordic statement was given in informal consultations on System Wide Coherence by Morten Wetland, Ambassador of Norway to the UN.
30.03.2009
White Paper on male roles and gender equality
Read the White Paper Document from the government to Stortinget (Parliament) on male roles and gender equality.
29.03.2009
No earmarking of posts
In November last year Tora Aasland promised to implement earmarking of temporary posts for women. Now the Efta Surveillance Authority (ESA) has put a stop to these plans.
27.03.2009
Norway: - Gender Equality is Smart Politics
Gender equality as an economic and competitive advantage is among the main messages the Norwegian Minister of Equality has to the UN Commission on the Status of Women while heading the Norwegian delegation. As Norway was ranked world no. 1 on gender equality in the World Economic Forum Gender Gap Report 2008, many states are eager to get some ideas from the Norwegian experience.
25.03.2009
Just as fertile today
Despite an enormous increase in working women: Norwegian women of today get about as many children as their mothers. The career woman who chooses not to have children or waits until she is 40, is more of a media myth than a widespread reality, according to Statistics Norway researchers Trude Lappegård and Turid Noack.
25.03.2009
Demand for gender equality in climate negotiations
Men drive cars and women use public transport. Therefore women and men have different degrees of impact on the climate. This was noted at the Nordic Summit in Copenhagen by experts who want the next UN climate agreement to be gender mainstreamed.
24.03.2009
Prostitution legislation: Will they go the same way?
In just a few years, the body of legislation on prostitution in the Nordic countries has undergone an epoch-making development and become more uniform. The reason for this is the increase in trafficking in humans in the region. Nevertheless, there is not total agreement on the best way to go forward.
19.03.2009
Gender Equality and Quality of Life. A Norwegian Perspective
Norway was recently ranked as number one in an international gender gap index (World Economic Forum). Developments in Norway are relevant for understanding how gender equality can be achieved. In order to find out more about men, women and gender equality, a representative survey was made in Norway in 2007, which was more detailed and comprehensive than earlier survey research.
18.03.2009
Include men's perspective in the climate debate
Women and men are equally responsible for creating a sustainable world, therefore the Nordic Region is promoting gender equality in the UN’s climate negotiations. The Nordic Council of Ministers hosted a seminar on gender equality and climate change attended by a large number of international delegates during the UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York
09.03.2009
Different research practices amongst women and men
A recent report from the Norwegian research institute NIFU STEP shows that men outnumber women within commercial and business-oriented research and that female researchers are less involved in international collaboration and peer review than their male colleagues.
05.03.2009
Putting gender on the climate agenda
The Nordic Council of Ministers for Gender Equality is taking part in the 53rd Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW53) this week, where the Nordic focus is on gender equality as an important part of solutions to climate problems.
04.03.2009
Gender Equality as Competitive Advantage
The Norwegian Minister of Children and Equality emphasises the economic advantages at the seminar Gender Equality as Competitive advantage - Norwegian and American experiences in business, society and policy.
04.03.2009
Statement on the Commission on the Status of Women
"Gender equality and more equal participation in the work-force, or in the unpaid care, helps economic growth. They improve the competitive edge of our economy", said the Norwegian Minister of Children and Equality Anniken Huitfeldt to the 53rd session of CSW.
04.03.2009
Women's ski-jumpers leap to equality
Women will throw themselves off a ski-jumping hill for world championship gold on Friday in another big leap for gender equality in sport. "All the women ski jumpers are excited about the season and the world championship," says American jumper Lindsey Van. The Norwegian ski jumper Anette Sagen has won almost 40 competitions and lifted the Continental Cup trophy all four seasons it has been held so far.
16.02.2009
A story of success
All of a sudden there was no escape: Publicly listed companies in Norway had to comply with the law requiring a 40 % female quota for board members. And indeed: It quickly worked. What happened?
13.02.2009
”You'll regret it later”
Freedom is a key aspect for women who choose not to have children. But it is a controversial decision and many women have to face strong reactions regarding their choice. Being childfree has become more difficult, says Tove Ingebjørg Fjell.
29.01.2009
FORUT affiliates to new global network for gender equality
A global network - MenEngage - for involving men in promoting gender equality is now being established. FORUT Norway has joined the network. The new network has been initiated by a core group of 8-9 international NGOs in cooperation with selected UN agencies.
21.01.2009
Will guide women to the top
Hierarchies and lack of management prevent women from climbing to the top in academia, says Curt Rice, the new Pro-Rector at the University of Tromsø. He calls for more management and different work methods at the university.
20.01.2009
Bigger gender gaps in rich countries
There is little difference in how Ghanaian girls and boys view science education and technology. In Norway, Sweden, Finland and England, on the other hand, the gender gap regarding what the pupils are interested in is huge.
20.01.2009
On Equal Terms
Report number 11 to the Norwegian Storting, On Equal Terms: Women’s Rights and Gender Equality in International Development Policy.
18.01.2009
Portrait: A celebrating queer missionary
He saw the light in the United States in the seventies. Since then, associate professor Pål Bjørby has been committed to feminist research. Recently he turned sixty.
09.01.2009
Inclusive education – a means for social inclusion
Individuals are different, yet every individual has a potential for learning. Access to adequate quality education should be given to every individual regardless of personal features and gender, as well as ethnic, religious, sexual, social, economic and geographical factors, says State Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Research, Lisbet Rugtvet.
05.01.2009
Gender Equality 2009?
Objectives, strategy and measures for ensuring gender equality
The report sets out the Ministry’s objectives and strategies for promoting gender equality, and the challenges that must be addressed. It points out areas where more efforts are needed and gives specific examples of the Government’s work for gender equality.
The report sets out the Ministry’s objectives and strategies for promoting gender equality, and the challenges that must be addressed. It points out areas where more efforts are needed and gives specific examples of the Government’s work for gender equality.
18.12.2008
Bringing HIV into the family
HIV and AIDS strike more African women than men, and the consequences of being open about one’s disease may be greater for women. Norwegian researchers have looked at how this affects whether women in Malawi show up for prenatal check-ups.
12.12.2008
One in five enterprises with only female employees
Almost half of all enterprises have both male and female employees. Secondary education dominates as the highest education level among employees in enterprises. In one out of three enterprises only men were employed by 1 January 2007. With 63 per cent, this share was highest within construction. 18 per cent of all enterprises had female employees exclusively. The share was highest within health and social services with 50 per cent of the enterprises.
12.12.2008
May promote gender equality
The work on standardising the workday of European scientists may further gender equality in the research sector, if a gender perspective is employed, says the Committee for Mainstreaming - Women in Science in Norway.
03.12.2008
Promises more science students
The corporate world needs more scientists, but few young people choose a career in science. Will we finally break the science code? The IRIS project not only aims to understand how youth make their career choices and why they, and particularly girls, choose or reject the natural sciences. The researchers also promise to offer advice on science education in schools, how recruitment campaigns ought to be shaped and which measures that are the best to retain students of the natural sciences.
03.12.2008
Gender balance on company boards
Companies have to compete for the best brainpower and skills, often at an international level. It goes without saying that one has to look for this amongst the whole population, says Director General Arni Hole in the Ministry of Children and Equality.
01.12.2008
Listen to your body
The health authorities claim that pelvic girdle pain is a common complaint during pregnancy. Pregnant women online take it a bit more seriously.
27.11.2008
"Diversity is a value in itself - it creates wealth"
Norway's quota law was the brainchild of an unlikely feminist: a 53-year-old Conservative trade and industry secretary and former businessman, Ansgar Gabrielsen, who served in a previous cabinet. Gabrielsen's focus was less about gender equality and more about "the fact that diversity is a value in itself, that it creates wealth".
17.11.2008
The rise of the Valkyries: Norwegian women take their place at the top
A law introduced in 2003 has given Norway the world's highest ratio of female company directors. 44.2 % of board seats are held by women, while only 11.5 % in England or 26.9 % in Sweden.
17.11.2008
Speech by the Minister of Children and Equality at EU-meeting
The overall picture of Norway - as seen from outside - is that we are amongst the forerunners in Europe regarding Gender Equality. However we have one of Europe`s most divided labour markets. Moreover, we have relatively few women in leadership positions! But things are about to change.
14.11.2008
Norway leads in closing the gender gap
Norway tops the Global gender gap index, with Finland and Sweden next. Norway is ranked on top in educational attainment, second in political empowerment, and sixth in economic participation and possibilities, but only as 53rd when it comes to health and survival.
November 2008
EU-meeting of the ministers responsible for equality between women and men
The EU ministers responsible for equality between women and men are to meet on 14 November 2008 in Lille.
Two issues will be on the agenda: reducing wage gaps and best practices in terms of professional equality in companies.
Two issues will be on the agenda: reducing wage gaps and best practices in terms of professional equality in companies.
12.11.2008
Witnesses in human trafficking cases to be granted residence in Norway
The Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion has sent instructions to the Directorate of Immigration (UDI) with a view to ensuring that people who testify in criminal cases relating to human trafficking are given residence permits.
11.11.2008
Disturbing the peace
Prostitution is to an increasing extent considered a disturbance of the peace, while social measures receive less attention. This is one of the conclusions that the research project Prostitution in the Nordic region has drawn.
10.11.2008
Few professorships in female-dominated study programmes
The female-dominated study programmes at public university colleges have far fewer professorships than the male-dominated ones. Those professorships that do exist are mainly held by men. This is revealed in a recent survey from the Norwegian Social Science Data Services. The figures are collected on behalf of the Committee for Mainstreaming - Women in Science.
31.10.2008
Gender and Migration. Similarities and disparities among women and men in the immigrant population
This report gathers part of the data available on women and men with immigrant backgrounds in Norway collected by Statistics Norway. This report provides information on significant pieces of the multifaceted picture that women and men with immigrant backgrounds represent, and compared with women and men in the total population.
October 2008
Our Mother in heaven
Is God sexualized by being called “mother"? The debate on a gender-inclusive language in Christian liturgy shows how primitive the notion of God is amongst some Norwegian theologians, says theologian Merete Thomassen.
22.10.2008
Gender Equality in Higher Education and Research
Speech given by state secretary Jens Ryvold, Ministry of Education and Research, at a Swiss-Norwegian dialogue meeting to discuss strategies for gender equality in science.
22.10.2008
Bishops say no to gay church weddings
Despite a gender-neutral marriage law coming into force in January, Norwegian bishops have decided to say no to church weddings for gay couples.
08.10.2008
Major increase for rainforest, women and education
The Government is giving priority to the rainforest, education, and women’s rights and gender equality in the international development budget. “No other government has increased funding as much as we have," said Minister of the Environment and International Development Erik Solheim.
07.10.2008
Norway allocates NOK 1 billion for girls’ education
The Government has decided to allocate NOK 1 billion to promote education for girls through UNICEF’s work on supporting Education for All in developing countries. The announcement was made today by Minister of the Environment and International Development Erik Solheim at a high-level event arranged by UNESCO in New York.
23.09.2008
An advocate of gender equality
For almost five years Norway has had a national committee for gender equality in science. It has placed women in science on the agenda both with the authorities and the research sector.
14.09.2008
Welcomes earmarking
Norwegian higher education institutions are positive to earmarking of posts for women. - I support it wholeheartedly and I am glad that it will be incorporated into the National Budget, says vice-rector at the University of Oslo, Inga Bostad.
14.09.2008
Aasland promises earmarking in 2009
Minister of Education and Research Tora Aasland promises to reintroduce earmarking of posts for women in academia in 2009. She stated that we still have a long way to go when it comes to gender balance in academia.
14.09.2008
Older women are active members
The proportion of the population that are members of various organisations stays the same, but a declining part is active. Three of four members in women’s associations were active. In particular older women are members and active.
12.09.2008
Norway rates tenth in educational attainment
The female proportion of those awarded advanced research degrees has increased since 2000. Average female proportion of awarded doctorates for all OECD countries was more than 43 per cent. Portugal and Iceland have the largest female proportions among awarded doctorates, 60 and 53 per cent respectively.
09.09.2008
Building a Europe for and with children: Developing child participation
Speech by State Secretary in the Ministry of Children and Equality, Kjell Erik Øie, about the importance of strenghtening the children's participation in communities.
09.09.2008
Overshadowed by Grieg
Agathe Backer Grøndahl was considered to be one of Norway’s most prominent pianists at the end of the 1800s and dedicated one of her works to the feminist Aasta Hansteen. Now all her music will be released on cd.
05.09.2008
Encourages research on gender specific health
State Secretary Jan-Erik Støstad in the Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion says research on work environment and occupational health is an important means in promoting a more inclusive workplace and labour market. A new research program will among other study working time arrangements and the extent to which varying working conditions are systematically gender specific.
28.08.2008
Inspiring meeting in Spain
Gender equality has been a priority in Spain the last years. But in the research sector little has changed. At the conference Women’s Worlds in Madrid Spanish scientists were inspired by Norway.
21.08.2008
Discreet gay life
- In accounts of the history of gay liberation, the past is typically portrayed as dark and sinister, and contrasted to a bright and happy present, says anthropologist Hans W. Kristiansen. He has written about discreet gay life in Norway from 1920-1970, and wants to question the stereotypical images of the past.
12.08.2008
Conclusions from the Men's Panel
The Men’s Panel was appointed by the Government to discuss issues concerning gender equality and men. The Conclusive Memorandum of the Men’s Panel with the Panel’s recommendations regarding measures is now published.
16.07.2008
Mom and dad or egg and sperm cell?
What consequences does the Norwegian policy for biotechnology have for the individual? Has God been replaced by genetic determinism? And why can’t two friends get help to make a baby together? These were questions that were addressed at the conference "The future of assisted reproduction".
30.06.2008
New law grants gay couples marriage rights
Gay couples in Norway will be granted the same rights as heterosexuals to marry, adopt and undergo artificial insemination under a new equality law.
17.06.2008
The Invisible Children
Was it a boy, or a girl? What happens when the answer to the very first question is “we’re not quite sure"? Marit Vaula Rasmussen is doing research on the intersex children, children who are born with an indefinite gender.
11.06.2008
Gender mainstreaming and the climate debate
Since women and men have different impacts on the climate, and climate change affects them differently, a gender-equality perspective needs to be integrated into the whole climate debate, the Nordic ministers responsible for gender equality have concluded
28.05.2008
Norway’s first professor in men and masculinities research
More men in this particular academic field and more masculinity is what the Norwegian research community can expect after the appointment of Norway’s first professor in gender equality and masculinity research at the Centre for Gender Research at the University of Oslo.
20.05.2008
Norwegian Intervention
Norway gives a high priority to gender equality. We are convinced that a greater overall emphasis on gender equality in the region will enhance the overall transition impact of the Bank. We therefore welcome the EBRD's decision to draft an action plan to develop policy in this field and Norway will follow this work closely.
19.05.2008
Women and International Careers
Through interviews with 23 women and two men who all have experience with living and working abroad, it has been gathered information about the possibilities and challenges these individuals have experienced through option for an internation career. The objectives have been to provide recruitment advice aimed at a future, international, labour market, and to inspire women standing on the threshold to the great, big world to dare take the plunge.
19.05.2008
Gender and Pay. Facts, analyses and measures to promote equal pay
I Norway, women are almost as economically active as men, although there are still certain differences between the sexes. A Commission appointed by the Norwegian Cabinet has provided an overview over differences between women's and men's pay and considered measures to reduce pay differences.
16.05.2008
Celebrating and summing up gender research
The Research Council's gender research programme for the period 2001-2007, Gender Research: Knowledge, Boundaries, Change, was concluded at a well-attended, fruitful conference in Oslo on 15 April 2008. The wide variety of conference activities ranged from lectures and a researcher marathon to stands, book presentations and films. A new programme will now carry on the efforts in gender research for the period up to 2012.
08.05.2008
Continued population growth
The population is projected to rise considerably in the years to 2060. The most important reason for this increase is continued immigration. The immigration surplus is expected to increase further in the next few years, followed by a decrease. However, the uncertainty in these projections is considerable. Life expectancy is expected to increase from 78.2 years for men and 82.7 years for women in 2007 to between 84.0 and 87.9 years for men and between 87.7 and 92.7 for women in 2060.
08.05.2008
A rising number of female rectors
In Norway one in three university and university college rectors are women - an increase of 75 per cent in two years. All the same, we are having a hard time catching up with our Swedish neighbours, who, thanks to network building, are close to achieving full balance between the sexes.
07.05.2008
Lively gender research conference
Is it true that Swedish feminists are angrier than the Norwegian? Why do Russian women think that gender equality is more typically Norwegian than anything else? How come transsexuals seem to be rather uninterested in sex? These were just some of the issues that were addressed at the Gender Research Programme’s closing conference.
05.05.2008
Stop Human Trafficking
Trafficking in human beings entails serious abuse of human dignity. We will not sit still and allow increasingly widespread trafficking, especially trafficking in women and children, to develop into a modern slave trade. The Government has presented a new plan of action that contains stronger and updated measures, says Knut Storberget, Norwegian Minister of Justice.
April 2008
Higher share of women working full time
The share of women working full time was 57 per cent in the first quarter of 2008, up one percentage point from the corresponding quarter in 2007. The share of full-time employment was 87 per cent for men, unchanged from the first quarter of 2007.
30.04.2008
A high female ratio changes attitudes
The level of female political representation affects our attitudes toward female politicians more than vice versa, claims political scientist Johannes Bergh in a new dissertation.
22.04.2008
Norway proposes jail, fines for buying sex
The Norwegian government proposes to fine or jail clients of prostitutes for up to six months in a bid to stamp out human trafficking, and says the law would also apply to its citizens abroad.
18.04.2008
Minister Erik Solheim joins proactive effort to promote women’s empowerment
“Women must be given more power. It makes economic sense. We will simply not be able to eradicate poverty if half the population is barred from political and economic participation," said Minister of the Environment and International Development Erik Solheim.
17.04.2008
Project report: About networks for female scientists
The Committee for Mainstreaming - Women in Science has looked at the need for a collaborative effort to build networks for female scientists in Norway. The pilot project found that there was an interest in strengthening and co-ordinating the networks.
02.04.2008
Women and International Careers
The percentage of employees working abroad for major Norwegian companies has doubled the last 15 years, but women are under-represented in this work force. What are the challenges and possibilities when opting for an international career?
April 2008
Gender and Migration. Similarities and disparities among women and men in the immigrant population
This report provides information on significant pieces of the multifaceted picture that women and men with immigrant backgrounds represent, and compared with women and men in the total population. Four main subjects are included: Demographic structure and change, education, labour market participation and childcare and cash benefit.
01.04.2008
- Physics can be feminine
The world will be a better place if more girls become engineers, says Camilla Schreiner. She does research on the connection between gender and choosing a career within the Natural Sciences.
17.03.2008
- Physics can be feminine
The world will be a better place if more girls become engineers, says Camilla Schreiner. She does research on the connection between gender and choosing a career within the Natural Sciences.
17.03.2008
Norway in Focus - Women over the Tipping Poing
The International Museum of Women takes a closer look upon Norway and their numbers regarding gender equality. Despite the small number of inhabitants, Norway seem to have made quite a few achievements, and status quo is presented.
march 2008
Boosting gender equality in Norwegian research
In 2006, 83% of all full professors in Norway were men. At the same time, over half of the students at the highest levels of study were women. There is a systematic and dramatic under-recruitment of women to research careers in Norway. Now the Research Council has adopted a gender equality policy to help improve the situation.
12.03.2008
Could Norway's gender laws lead the way?
New legislation has given its boardrooms the highest proportion of female non-execs in the world. Employment inequality is still the norm in boardrooms across the globe, where men in suits continue to dominate both exec and non-exec roles. Yet new legislation in Norway has effectively addressed this imbalance.
06.03.2008
Towards a solution in the earmarking case
The Ministry of Education and Research is requesting the KiF Committee to prepare models ensuring women employment in academic positions in male dominated fields. This autumn, the Ministry will announce the measures the various institutions can make use of.
29.02.2008
Anniken Huitfeldt new minister
In today’s session of the Council of State the Crown Prince Regent has appointed Ms. Anniken Huitfeldt (38), Member of Storting, Jessheim, as Minister of Children and Equality as of today at 12.30 pm.
29.02.2008
Smørbrød and the Stock Exchange: Navigating Norwegian Culture
Lauren Osen came to Norway to study the country’s recent gender quota law for ASA companies’ corporate boards, but also had to contend with the peculiar lunch habits of the natives!
20.02.2008
Two winners of the Award for Gender Equality 2007
The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and the University of Tromsø (UiT) share this year’s Award for Gender Equality, worth two million Norwegian kroner. - I do hope this will inspire more people to work for gender equality, Tora Aasland, minister of Research and Higher Education said during the award-giving ceremony.
15.02.2008
Equal Opportunity for All – also in Traffic
The year of 2007 was declared the year of equal opportunity for all in Europe. However, a brand new report on "gender and transportation" shows that when it comes to travel patterns, this caption is an ideal rather than a fact.
08.02.2008
Nordic Countries Top The World Economic Forum's Gender Gap Index
The five Nordic countries, which also perform consistently well in the World Economic Forum’s competitiveness rankings, all continue to hold a place among the top 10, with Sweden (1), Norway (2), Finland (3), Iceland (4) and Denmark (8) in the same positions as last year.
08.02.2008
Raging pop clichés
Shaking buttocks, homophobic hip-hoppers, pimped-up lady singers and hypermacho cock rock... The world of music videos is abundant with clichés regarding gender, race, class and sexuality. But according to musicologist Marita Buanes, there are exceptions that challenge this.
04.02.2008
More female chairmen in Norway
Facts and figures after the municipal council and county council election in 2007.
29.01.2008
On Equal Terms: Women's rights and gender equality in international development policy
Women’s participation and women’s rights are of paramount importance if we are to realise the vision for the world’s future enshrined in the UN Millennium Declaration, says the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At the halfway mark between 2000 and 2015, we must acknowledge that the UN Millennium Development Goals on poverty eradication will not be achieved unless women are put centre stage.
18.01.2008
Women's clothes – men's desire
According to the teaching, Laestadian girls who dress inappropriately “stimulate the lust of the flesh". This may lead both girls and boys to perdition. Through the length of their skirts girls convey their loyalty or distance to the congregation, according to religion historian Torjer Olsen.
17.01.2008
Power Resistance – The Impact of Gender Concerning Relation Between Minorities and Majorities
Minister of Children and Equality, Manuela Ramin-Osmundsen, speaks about the necessity to integrate gender perspectives in the new National Plan of Action against racism and discrimination, at the FEMM-network's conference Power and Resistance. What is the impact of gender concerning relations between minorities and majorities?
14.01.2008
Summary of articles on the 40% gender balance on public limited boards rule
On 1 January 2008, the Norwegian law requiring a minimum of 40% represention of either gender on public limited boards came into effect. In this article, we gather the links to the available English-language information on the topic.
10.01.2008
Higher electoral turnout
The total electoral turnout in the municipal and county council election in September 2007 was 61.7 per cent, an increase of 2.4 percentage points compared to the 2003 election. The number of elected female representatives increased both in the municipal councils and county councils.
04.01.2008
"Diversity – not equality"
Norway’s demand for 40 per cent female board members is unique. How could such a radical gender equality measure be implemented in a business world which is opposed to quotas? And by a minister from the anti-quota Conservative Party?
18.12.2007
Women and men in Tromsø most equal
The gender equality index for 2007 reveals considerable differences between Norwegian municipalities. Women and men in Tromsø are most equal, followed by Namsos in Nord-Trøndelag. On county level, Oslo and Akershus have the highest score, while Vest-Agder, Aust-Agder and Møre og Romsdal have the lowest score.
14.12.2007
Can women with hijab be emancipated?
- The debate surrounding the use of hijab may indicate that sexuality currently is the main gender equality issue, while economy appears to be of less importance. These are the words of Berit Gullestad, who has analysed the Norwegian debate over hijab that followed France’s ban in 2003/2004.
06.12.2007
Invisible innovation
Numbers suggest that women are lagging behind in Norwegian innovation. A narrow and outdated definition of innovation explains why, says Elisabet Ljunggren at Nordland Research Institute.
06.12.2007
Women teach more after the Quality Reform
Female professors feel that they spend more time teaching after the introduction of the Quality Reform, the Norwegian follow-up to the Bologna Process. Women, to a larger degree than men, also say that the reform has changed their methods of teaching.
22.11.2007
Red figures for gender equality efforts
The University of Oslo is the first scholarly institution that has looked at its budgets from a gender equality perspective. The survey suggests that male researchers at the University get more money than their female colleagues.
30.10.2007
Offers big award for gender equality
The Ministry of Education and Research has established a new gender equality award worth two million Norwegian kroner. The award will go to the institution that has done the most to promote women in science.
Photo: Arild Hjelm.
30.10.2007
New award for gender equality in science
The Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research has established a new gender equality award worth NOK 2 million. The award will go to the institution that has done the most to promote women in science.
30.10.2007
Want to close knowledge gaps
Despite extensive research on prostitution there are still huge knowledge gaps. A new Nordic research project will gather, systematise and discuss what we think we know about "Prostitution in the Nordic Countries".
2007.10.19
More women complete higher education degrees
In the ten years from 1995 to 2005 twice as many women completed a higher education degree than in the ten years from 1985 to 1995. The corresponding figure for men was 42 per cent.
(Picture source: Education statistics, Statistics Norway)
11.10.2007
Mathematician and physicist honoured
The Research Council of Norway's Møbius Prize for Outstanding Research 2007 has been awarded to Professor Idun Reiten. Reiten is a Professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and a female pioneer in mathematics.
28.09.2007
Simply in love
"Prostitutes." "Traitors." “Contagious." “Backward." According to the myths of the post-war era, Norwegian girls who were involved with German soldiers during WWII were morally corrupt and inferior human beings. Historian Terje A. Pedersen believes that most of them simply fell in love.
24.09.2007
More women sanctioned
In 2006, 27 100 persons were sanctioned with 33 100 crimes. The number of sanctions for crimes was 0.6 per cent lower than the year before. More women and less men sanctioned with crimes entails a particularly large share of women.
19.09.2007
The mystery of natural sciences
Brita Brenna is a researcher at the Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture (TIK) at the University of Oslo. We already have many numbers and facts which describe women’s careers within scientific research. Now we want to execute some qualitative studies to see exactly what happens in the research communities, Brita Brenna explains
14.09.2007
A stranger among us
Asking a group of feminist activists if I, the stranger, can join their lunch table still inspires the sort of anxiety experienced by “the new kid" trying to find a seat in a crowded high school cafeteria, writes American sociologist Kimberly Creasap after her summer in Scandinavia.
13.09.2007
New times – new genders?
«A goodie bag» in the study of what body and gender means in our society and culture, says historian of religion Anne Kalvig about alternative therapy and neo-religious groups.
10.09.2007
Entrepreneurs are predominantly men
Most entrepreneurs are men, both in limited companies and in personally owned companies. The largest share of women entrepreneurs are found in the personally owned companies. More than half of the limited companies have only one entrepreneur.
31.08.2007
Young woman seeks better life
What do Eastern European women hope to attain when they come to Norway as prostitutes? In a new master’s thesis Irina Polyakova presents these women’s hope, reality and opportunities.
16.08.2007
Norway to provide NOK 20 million for the effort against female genital mutilation
International Development Minister Erik Solheim announced today that Norway will contribute NOK 20 million (appr. USD 3,5 million) to a fund to protect girls against genital mutilation in 16 countries. The fund has recently been established by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
08.08.2007
Examination of Norway's 7th Report by the CEDAW Committee
Gender Equality is not reached over night. Norway has a long history of social inclusion and equality strivings, the last 30 years standing out as to performance and results.
02.08.2007
Passionate pioneer
- We have too rarely asked ourselves what it has meant to be a man throughout history. This is something we must uncover! Norway's first and most renowned women's historian is ready for new challenges. And she won't stop until someone says "Gabrielsen".
27.07.2007
Children – a free choice?
While women in other European countries choose career over family, Norwegian women keep the birth rate up. To them, the question is not if, but when they will have children, says social anthropologist Malin Noem Ravn.
19.07.2007
Dad is awarded – mom is punished
Marriage and children have the opposite effect on the wages of men and women: married men earn more than unmarried men, while mothers lose in comparison to women without children. But it is not the employer's fault, according to professor Geir Høgsnes. He warns against focusing too much on discrimination in the equal pay debate.
03.07.2007
As many girls as boys go to school in Malawi
Girls now attend primary school to the same extent as boys in Malawi. However, girls tend to drop out before boys and fewer women than men know how to read and write.
27.06.2007
One size fits nobody
What is the use of a right to education if one is unable to go to school because of menstruation? - Human rights are the most important project of our time. But if they are to be realized, then the tools must be adapted to the specific context, says Anne Hellum.
11.06.2007
A real rape?
The questions that meet raped Liberian women refugees are not that different from Norwegian circumstances according to Sæba Bajoghli, who has written a Master's thesis on rape in one African refugee camp.
23.05.2007
New Women in Science committee appointed
The Ministry of Education and Research has appointed a new Committee for Mainstreaming - Women in Science. The new committee will be chaired by pro-rector Gerd Bjørhovde, and its period of office will extend until 1 April 2010.
02.05.2007
Gender gap in life expectancy narrows
Women still live longest, but the difference in life expectancy between men and women has fallen by one third in the last twenty years, to 4.5 years in 2006.
26.04.2006
Golden opportunities in Norway
In February the Committee for Mainstreaming - Women in Science handed in its final report to the Ministry of Education and Research. In this report the committee gives its recommendations for further gender equality work in the academic sector.
26.04.2006
- The solution is Daddy
The key to economic gender equality is the father, claims economist Hilde Bojer.
17.04.2006
More children in day care centers
During 2006, the number of children attending day care centers increased with 5.1 per cent in Norway. Meanwhile, the percentage of female employees was 90, which is the same level as in the previous year.
19.03.2007
New Action Plan for gender equality in development cooperation
On the International Women's Day, the Norwegian Goverment launched its new Action Plan for women's rights and gender equality in development cooperation.
08.03.2007
Norway calls on Iran to release women's rights activists
Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Støre has called on Iran to release all of the women's rights activists arrested last Sunday.
08.03.2007
New Nordic research policies
A new Nordic network for research policy is currently under way. The initiators hope that the network can contribute to promoting gender perspectives in research on national, Nordic, and European level.
05.03.2007
Book release: Professions and social identity
The book "Professions and Social Identities" presents new European research on work, gender and society. It is published by CLIOHRES.net, a Network of Excellence under EU's 6th Research Framework Programme.
01.03.2007
Norwegian government launches new website
The Norwegian government has launched its new homepage, www.government.no. Equality is one of its main subject areas.
14.02.2007
Economic rewards for hiring of women
The Committee for Mainstreaming - Women in Science has asked the Ministry of Education and Research to consider economic rewards to institutions that hire women as associate professors and professors. If the Ministry follows this advice, Norway will be the first country in the world with such a model.
08.02.2007
The Global Gender Gap Report 2006
The World Economic Forum has published the Global Gender Gap Report 2006. The Nordic countries Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland, top the latest Gender Gap Index. Germany, the Philippines, New Zealand, Denmark, the United Kingdom and Ireland complete the top 10 countries with the smallest gender gap.
30.01.2007
New issue of NIKK magasin
NIKK magasin is a Nordic magazine which presents gender research in the Nordic countries. This annual English issue of the magazine, named "New Perceceptions of Gender and Reproduction", presents the theme of gender and biology.
25.01.2007
Gender equality in 30 years?
According to the current rate of change, it will take another 25-30 years before half of the permanent positions in the Norwegian academic sector are held by women. These figures emerge from a new report compiled by NIFU STEP.
18.01.2007
Completely natural, and potentially deadly
Getting pregnant can be dangerous, if you are poor and live in a country where women are little valued. Berit Austveg, specialist in community medicine, has written a book about what she calls the world’s greatest social injustice: maternal mortality.
17.01.2007
Campaigning for increased female representation
The Norwegian Equality and Anti-discrimination Ombud has launched a campaign to increase the number of women who participate in local politics. They've got three months to make it happen.
10.01.2007
Depicting gender equality in the regions
Statistics Norway publishes an annual index of gender equality in Norwegian municipalities and counties. The 2006 index reveals that Tromsø is the municipality with most equality between women and men.
22.12.2006
Caring men in FOCUS
In a coordinated work/life study, researchers from five European countries have confirmed that each country wants to see more men taking parental leave to spend time caring for their children.
19.12.2006
Denmark launches website on gender
The Danish Centre for Research on Women and Gender (KVINFO) has launched All about Gender in Denmark. The website comprises news, facts and information on gender research, legislation, women's history and much more.
18.12.2006
What happens to the money?
Carry out a gender equality evaluation of the budget.
19.11.2006
Looking to the EU for the means
Before the summer break, an interpellation was submitted in which the Minister of Education and Research was asked what he will do to correct the gender imbalance in academia. This is his reply.
13.11.2006
Equal Pay Commission launches website
The Norwegian Equal Pay Commission was appointed in 2006. One of its tasks is to investigate the wage gap between women and men. The Commission has now launched it's website – likelonn.no – which encourages debate and provides information about the status of equal pay in Norwegian society.
09.11.2006
Book Gift on Gender Equality & Research to Alexandrina
A collection of books on Nordic Gender Equality and Research was given to the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in October 2006. The gift was presented by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in connection with the Ibsen year.
30.10.2006
6th Anniversary of UN Resolution 1325
The UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security calls for the full protection of women in war and conflicts and their participation in peace processes. On October 31 the Norwegian Government presented the work with the Norwegian Plan of Action, and the Gender in Norway website was launched.
26.10.2006
Masculine Sport: A Homo-free zone?
Why are male dominated sports environments often homophobic? Researchers Heidi Eng and Ulla-Britt Lilleaas have, in their respective research projects, attempted to find some answers.
24.10.2006
Norway’s Foreign Minister and Minister of International Development congratulate Nobel Peace Prize winners
The Grameen Bank is represented throughout Bangladesh, and 97 per cent of its total of six million borrowers are women. This says a lot about what the bank means to poor women. The Nobel Committee awarded Professor Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank the Nobel Peace Prize for 2006.
13.10.2006
Against Nature? - an exhibition on animal homosexuality
The first-ever museum exhibition dedicated to gay animals has opened at the Natural History Museum in Oslo. Homosexuality is a common and widespread phenomenon in the animal world. Most museums have no traditions for airing difficult, concealed, and possibly controversial questions. Homosexuality is certainly such a question.
01.10.2006
A look at Norwegian institutes
There is a great deal of focus on the proportion of women among permanent staff at universities and university colleges in Norway. But it is in business and independent institutions that the proportion of women is the lowest.
24.09.2006
Girls from minority backgrounds taking part in sports
Girls from ethnic minorities in Norway have a below average participation rate in organized sports. Researcher Åse Strandbu has studied those who do take part.
31.07.2006
Outstanding young men
The Research Council of Norway should make an equal opportunities assessment program of the new Outstanding Young Investigators grant, says professor Inge Henningsen.
26.06.2006
When gender equality becomes practice
When Swedish gender equality expert Eva Mark delivered her lecture in Oslo in May, it was practical gender equality work that was on the agenda.
11.06.2006
84.5 per cent of a man’s wage
Equal pay for equal work has been a demand for several decades. The differences, however, are still great. Why?
10.05.2006
Rekdal on Moi and Rekdal
Elin Havelin Rekdal was looking for a topic to write her masters thesis on. She noticed a book exhibited in a library: “What is a woman?” by Toril Moi. – Does anyone really have the answer to that question, Rekdal wondered. She is now doing her doctorate on Toril Moi and her books.
27.04.2006
Planning for a generation shift
New thinking on gender equality is taking place at Norwegian universities. In recent years, the burden of responsibility has been moved, equal opportunities budgets have been increased by millions of Norwegian kroner and new initiatives have been put in place. We have checked the progress at two of the country’s universities.
13.03.2006
EU's Gender Equality Institute up and running by 2007
While the Women's Rights and Gender Equality Committee in the European Parliament struggle to sharpen the focus of the Institute's work, Norwegian gender experts hope to be part of shaping the future of the Institute.
09.03.2006
The politics of housework
Female production and modern housework is a central part of modernisation and the welfare state. Gro Hagemann is researching how historical and political changes have formed the role of the housewife through the 20th century.
06.03.2006
Into the woodwork of science
Who decides what science is excellent? Who decides which research projects will be funded, or which researchers will be recruited? These are issues we have to look at closely if we want to promote gender equality in science.
01.03.2006
Silence protects
The authorities want to get the victims of trafficking to talk. However, silence is a protection for many of the women in their attempt to start a new life. Give them information and legal aid so they can make their own, qualified decisions, is the advice from a group of Norwegian and Serbian researchers who have interviewed victims of trafficking in Serbia.
08.02.2006
When anorexia is the solution
When everything feels unstable, having control over your own body and your food intake becomes a way of taking charge. If you don’t eat, then that’s at least one thing you’re in control of. Besides, you become slim; and slim means happy. Karen Klovning and Siri Hoftun have interviewed eight girls who have suffered from anorexia.
20.01.2006
Prize for thesis on self-injury
To the support services, self-injuring women often seem inscrutable and helpless. The women’s own insights into and comprehension about self-harm are not asked for. Anita Moe has interviewed a group of women about their experiences of self-injury. For this work, she won the Prize for Outstanding Contribution to Women’s Studies and Gender Research at the University of Oslo, in 2005.
13.01.2006
Tragedy & Honour
Kristin Skjørten has investigated how two Norwegian newspapers cover murder and other violence against women, in cases where the perpetrator has a close relationship to the woman. Some cases are widely reported and trigger debates on topics such as honour. Other cases receive limited coverage under the headline "family tragedy."
09.01.2006
Motherhood challenged
In Norway, sperm donation is legal, but egg donation is not. What is it about motherhood that makes the donation of eggs a viable solution that is not used? Social anthropologist Kristin Hestflått’s doctoral project explores the politics of parenthood in the age of genetics.
02.01.2006
USA–Norway, return trip
Anne Sæbø left Norway for the United States ten years ago. Now she is back as a guest researcher. Here she reflects on the similarities and differences between the two cultures, and how American ways gradually affect Norwegian traditions – Christmas decorations, for example.
22.12.2005
New goals in Tromsø
Last year the University of Tromsø was singled out as having the worst gender balance in the country. Director of personnel Håvard Bekkelund hardly remembers this. Because things are changing fast.
09.12.2005
The black Snow White adventure
Oil and gas have become the mantra for the future in Norway. It is not only connected to the Snøhvit (literally, Snow White) project at Hammerfest, in the far north of Norway, but to the whole county of Finnmark. Anthropologist Britt Kramvig fears that, as a consequence, other untapped resources of the region - like its many educated women - are being forgotten.
08.12.2005
Trebling the equal opportunities pot
The rector at the University of Bergen will spend a further 2 million Norwegian crowns on equal opportunities work. This is how Bergen will become a leading university on gender equality.
23.11.2005
Quotas and justice
Political committees in Norwegian local authorities should have a representation of at least 40 per cent of each sex. In practice, however, it does not work like this. Ingrid Guldvik has written her doctoral thesis on quotas and gender justice.
13.10.2005
Where computing is cool for girls
In Norway few girls choose an education in computing. In Malaysia, on the other hand, an education in computing is popular with girls. There, computing is considered a suitable career for women. Sociologist Vivian Anette Lagesen has investigated the differences between the two countries in her recently completed doctoral thesis in Interdisciplinary Culture Studies.
05.09.2005
Challenges for Nordic research on violence
The Nordic countries are in a unique position in the fight against mens’ violence against women. However, challenges remain that the Nordic countries have not addressed, says Liz Kelly.
24.07.2005
Upstairs, Downstairs
- The first women’s movement in Norway was interested primarily in the rights of middle class women - with the right to an upper secondary education and to study at university. However, many of these middle class women were assisted by their servants, says professor emeritus Sølvi Sogner. She is now writing a servants’ history.
10.06.2005
Timing and tactics
A gender researcher in the Senate, an innovative gender equality adviser, new tactics and good timing. These factors were instrumental when the University of Oslo passed a new gender equality action plan.
11.05.2005
The force of example
Sure, the situation for women in science has improved. But a lot remains to be done, says Kari Melby, chair of the Committee for Mainstreaming - Women in Science.
11.05.2005
On the Daddytrack
The Daddytrack is an expression masculinities researcher Øystein Gullvåg Holter has borrowed from the Americans. In the USA, yes to daddytrack means no to career. Holter wants the Nordic countries and Europe to develop an alternative daddytrack that does not force men into choosing between work and family.
11.05.2005
Women crossing the borders
What are the lives of Russian women settled in northern Norway like? Stereotypes about Russian women as prostitutes or old-fashioned housewives abound in local communities in the north of Norway, explains researcher Jana Sverdljuk.
28.04.2005
Norway – Turkey: A Score Draw
In Turkey women working in news and in newspaper editing are few and far between. However, how much better is the situation in Norway? Huriye Toker has compared the gender balance in the two Turkish newspapers Hürriyet and Akºam with Norwegian VG and Dagsavisen. She discovered a surprising number of similarities.
04.05.2005
The Viking god Odin – A queer god of War
Does Norse mythology and queer theory share any common ground? Brit Solli, archaeologist at the University of Tromsø, argues that Odin, one of the most important Viking gods, was queer – and that it is about time to reclaim the diversity that the Viking era represented both in culture and in opinion of gender. Solli writes about this and a lot more, in the interdisciplinary book Seid, Myths, Shamanism and Gender in the Viking Era.
02.01.2004
Immigration History with Gender Perspective?
A so far untold part of Norwegian history is now presented in three companion volumes. Norwegian Immigration History was released by Pax Publishing Company earlier this fall. Seven professors aim to describe history with immigrants’ perspective from year 900 and to present time. How was the life of a slave? Where did the priests, the carpenters and the tradesmen come from? Who were the noblemen and kings – and where did they find their brides? Family negotiations, alliance building and forced marriages were the rule rather than the exception in earlier times.
05.11.2003
Jazz as masculine space
The number of women who study music and who make their mark on the Norwegian musical scene have increased the recent years. But the recruitment of women is lopsided. Women choose classical music, not jazz. In this article Trine Annfelt discusses jazz as a hegemonic masculine discourse and argues that this can contribute to explaining the distribution by gender and sexuality.
17.07.2003
Scandinavian researchers on gender power
How gender power in society, research and politics is understood, interpreted and problematised depends upon your position and point of view. In consequence, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian women have different ways of looking at gender power. Additionally, each generation of women will have their own way of analysing power.
19.06.2003
A male power elite
Norway enjoy an international status as a progressive country in gender equality. But there is still much to do. The research project "Power and Democracy" has mapped out Norway’s power elite and the numbers speak for themselves; we have a male power elite.
28.11.2002