Norway lifts Nordic gender equality in the Nordic region 2014

05.03.14 | News
Arbeidsliv i Norden
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For the first time ever a Nordic country has reached full gender equality in the Nordic Labour Journal’s gender equality barometer. The barometer reflects the gender balance in 24 different positions of power in the Nordic societies. After a change of government last autumn, Norway has now reached 22 points. 20 points is needed for full gender equality.

There are many ways of measuring gender equality. A female government minister does not necessarily pursue policies which improve equality between the sexes. Yet it is not irrelevant. It influences our perception of society and the opportunities it offers. In a Nordic first, Norway now has a female Prime Minister, a female Minister of Finance and female heads of both the Confederation of Trade Unions and the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise. 

Other countries have gone backwards - mainly Iceland, which was only two points away from full gender equality in our 2013 barometer. As a new government came to power in 2013, Iceland plummeted down to eight points. That is the same level as Finland.

CountryPoints 2014 Change Denmark 16 -1 Finland 7 - Iceland 8 -10 Norway 22 +13 Sweden 10 - The Nordic Region 63 +2


Thanks to Norway the figure for the entire Nordic region reached 64 points, up three points on 2013. Since each country has a maximum of 40 points, or 200 points for all of the Nordic countries, 100 points would mean full gender equality. This means there is still some way to go. At the current speed the entire Nordic region will only reach full gender equality - measured by the NLJ’s barometer - in 2035.

Read the whole article in the latest issue of Nordic Labour Journal!

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