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The Common Sense of Gender Equality

Gender Equality
A Scandinavian Perspective
by Anne Sofie Allarp
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The Common Sense of Gender Equality
Thought experiment
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The Common Sense of Gender Equality
Human Resources
Increasingly the decisive commodity which
decides, which countries are winners of
globalisation
Production, innovation, management,
leadership, teaching, development of a nation
will be at 50% if you only apply 50% of the
human resources
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The Common Sense of Gender Equality
Fact
The countries with the highest number of
women in the formal sector are:
The richest
The most competitive
Most equal in a broader sense
Most stable
Population the happiest
Developing faster

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The Common Sense of Gender Equality
So why not plunge into equality?

Gender Inequality is embedded in societal
structures and purported by patriarchy existing
in virtually all societies across the globe.



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The Common Sense of Gender Equality
Power Structures
In power, the leader will choose his successor in
his own image
Women conform to that to stand a chance, but
are still far from an equal competitive situation
to that of male peers
The pattern reproduces itself in all sectors of
society until a young man looks like a potential
leader and a young women looks like a potential
sexual partner
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The Common Sense of Gender Equality
To break the circle:
Awareness and resolve
New political correctness
A society, who works together to change
A strong political leadership, who means
business
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The Common Sense of Gender Equality
Scandinavia
110 years of increasingly assertive commitment
to the cause has placed Sweden on the top
globally in terms of gender equality, with other
Nordic and Scandinavian in close pursuit


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The Common Sense of Gender Equality
Equality for both men and women
The new Scandinavian approach views gender
equality as a common effort and relevant to
both men and women.
Fathers are increasingly a driving force,
demanding participation and time for bringing
up their children and out of concern for their
girl children.
Burden and power sharing at all levels
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The Common Sense of Gender Equality
Current Status in Scandinavia
55% women students in Universities
Female longer life expectancy by approximately
5 years
Approximately 40% female representation in
politics (Finnish government has 60% female
cabinet ministers)
Still inequality in income, pensions, leadership
and particularly private sector.
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The Common Sense of Gender Equality
Learn and skip 30-50 years
of cumbersome development
We are not done in Scandinavia, but so far we
have compiled results and lessons learned,
valuable to other cultures.
The issue is of global concern, it will be
impossible to attain the Millennium
Development Goals without the concerted
efforts of the eveloping world in this area.
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The Common Sense of Gender Equality
South Asia and Nepal
Conducive culture
Strong women in history and
religion
Very harmful culture:
Dowry
Infanticide and uneven
demography
Kitchen fires
Widowhood
Women as the bearer of the
family standing and honour
Trafficking and Prostitution
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The Common Sense of Gender Equality
Nepal
Ranks 111 among 115 countries in the 2006
Gender Gap Report from World Economic
Council
Maternal Health
Impunity and gender specific violence and
murder
Lower education
Representation, politically, economically and in
society
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The Common Sense of Gender Equality
Questions?