Norway's Report to CEDAW

Minister of Children and Family Affairs Laila Dåvøy

New York, 20.01.03

Madam Chair,

It is an honour for me to present Norway’s fifth and sixth periodic reports on the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women. The examination of periodic reports by treaty bodies is a crucial part of the international monitoring of states’ human rights obligations. It also provides a unique opportunity for dialogue between governments and international experts. My government highly values this combination of monitoring and dialogue for the promotion and protection of human rights.

Many steps have been taken to promote equality in Norway, both legally and by means of other tools and measures. Over the past few decades Norway has put a great deal of political effort into becoming a society that promotes women’s rights and gender equality. I am proud to be able to say that although there have been many heated debates on concrete measures, every successive government, regardless of political colour, every serious politician and more than ninety per cent of the population in polls now see gender equality as being an essential value in our society

For several years it has been an expressed task of the Norwegian Government to strengthen the position of human rights in domestic law. The Human Rights Act, which was adopted in 1999, gives the European Convention on Human Rights and the two UN Covenants of 1966, with optional protocols, the force of Norwegian law insofar as they are binding for Norway. By the end of this year my ministry will put forward a concrete proposal on how to strengthen the implementation of the Women’s Convention to ensure the best results. One of the alternatives that is under consideration is to combine the methods of incorporation and transformation. This will make the convention more visible and ensure that it is recognised in my country.

I will not take up your time by trying to cover all the themes of the convention. You have read our reports. Instead I will speak in more depth on some issues in which I think Norwegian policies have produced positive results and which may give inspiration to other countries. Although we still have not reached all our goals in these areas, considerable achievements have been made. My government has put these issues high on the agenda and sought new measures that are tailored for modern society, and I think we are moving in the right direction.

(A policy for gender equality in family life)

In Norway there has been – and is – a close link between family policy and gender equality policy. The objective of these policies is to give both women and men equal opportunities to combine work and the role of being a parent.

Norway has invested a great deal in improving conditions for families with young children. Our parental leave schemes and our daycare are among the best in the world. Our family policy has in recent years had a strong focus on the role of fathers, and the importance of strengthening this role for the good of the children, while at the same time promoting equality and the value of family life in general. Experience has shown that gender-neutral schemes for parental leave are not enough to bring fathers home to take care of young children to the same degree as mothers.

In 1993 a paternity quota was introduced, which means that if both the mother and the father qualify for parental benefits, four weeks are reserved for the father. The paternity quota has proved a very effective tool for encouraging fathers to take leave. Though fathers have been entitled to take part of parental leave after a birth since 1978 if the family prefers this, very few have in fact exercised this right. Today eight out of ten men take advantage of their right to take the father’s quota of leave. We think this is important not only as a gender equality issue, but also in light of the increasing number of broken families. With some exceptions this entails the residential separation of children from their fathers. However, the value of the bond between father and children does not cease to exist just because they no longer live in the same household. The increased participation of fathers in childcare promotes stability in the father-child relationship and also in families that are not living together.

Even though Norwegian mothers top the list internationally in terms of participation in the labour market, freedom of choice is an important part of Norwegian family policy. A cash benefit scheme was introduced in 1998, which entitles the family of every child between the ages of one and three to approximately USD 420 a month, provided that the child does not attend a subsidised daycare centre. The purpose of the cash benefit is to give families more time to care for their own children and freedom of choice in deciding what form of childcare they prefer for them

The cash benefit may also be seen as a recognition of the importance of care for children. It has led to some changes in how peope combine childcare and work, but these changes have not been very extensive. It has also led to a better financial situation for families who prefer that one parent stays at home while the child is still a toddler. And we have to bear in mind that when the reform was introduced, the demand for day-care places for young children had not been met. We still face a shortage of places for this age group, and are currently giving very high priority to meeting this demand by establishing more daycare places at prices that families can afford. In 2003 budget allocations for this purpose were increased by 30 per cent, and statutory amendments have been proposed to ensure that the demand is met.

During the 1990s Norwegian women gave birth to more children than their sisters in most other European countries, while topping the world list in terms of participation in the labour market. It is commonly believed that this demonstrates the success of our combined gender equality and family policy. In the last two years, however, Norway has experienced a slight decline in fertility. This trend gives cause for concern. It illustrates the complex nature of fertility and the need for extensive knowledge in order to reach the goal of a stable, modern society that is able to reproduce itself.

(Women on executive boards)

Another challenge related to women’s contribution to society is that very few women take part in decision-making in the economic field in general and especially in larger corporations and firms. In Norway the boardrooms are dominated by men. In 2002, women made up only 6.6 per cent of the members of boards of public stock companies. The small number of women represented on executive boards in private companies cannot be explained by a lack of qualified women. It seems more likely that the challenge facing us is to get the men who dominate economic decision-making to understand the value of women and start using their resources.

Women’s participation is essential for growth and development in our society. The Government has for this reason decided to do something to improve the gender balance on company boards. On the 7 ^th> of March last year, the Government passed a resolution aimed at increasing the number of women in the executive bodies of enterprises. The resolution includes a demand that both sexes should be represented by at least 40 per cent on the executive boards of all public joint stock companies and in state-owned companies.

As regards state-owned companies, the Government hopes to achieve this minimum percentage by the end of this calendar year. And as these state companies have nearly reached the goal already, I am quite confident that they’ll manage to do so within this period. As for private companies, a bill will be submitted to the parliament later this year. In addition to this, the Government has taken the initiative for a co-operation agreement with the private sector. If the desired representation on 40 per cent of each gender is reached through such an agreement by the end of 2005, the law will not enter into force.

The resolution has attracted much attention. Among financial institutions, employers’ organisations and in other parts of business life, the resistance to the proposal has been particularly strong. The objections have first and foremost been that such regulations show disrespect for shareholder democracy.

Even though the proposal met with considerable resistance to begin with, I am glad to say that this is changing. There is a growing recognition that more diversity in boardrooms may be an asset for the companies. The attitude that diversity gives rise to more creativeness and in turn better results for the companies is now gaining ground.

So far in the process we note that there is a small increase in the number of women being elected to executive boards in private companies. However, even though the number is still very low, it shows that we are going in the right direction. Private companies still have three more years to go to fulfil the Government’s aim of 40 per cent representation of each gender. It looks as though they are taking on the challenge and that they will manage to reach the goal of 40 per cent on their own.

Internationally Norway has attracted attention as the first country in the world to propose legislation concerning the representation of both genders on executive boards. I was recently informed that the Swedish Government is discussing the idea of starting a similar process. I hope other countries will also follow suit.

( Gender pay gap)

Equal pay is another top priority of my government. If women are to become financially independent and gain an equal footing in the labour market, then equal pay is vital.

In Norway we have seen positive trends towards equality. At the same time we see that, as in most other countries, a high level of education or work force participation is not automatically accompanied by equal pay. During the last 20 years, the pay gap has steadily decreased, but there’s still quite a way to go. When you examine the figures in our reports on this issue, it is important to underline that Norway has – generally speaking – very small differences in wages compared with most countries.

I would like to stress the importance of new regulation that were passed in 2002. In 1997 a public commission proposed general guidelines for gender-neutral comparisons of work as a basis for equal remuneration for work of equal value. On this basis the equal-pay provision of the Gender Equality Act was revised, as stated in our sixth report, to cover work of equal value across professions and occupations under the same employer.

In my view, we must find new ways to address this old and persistent problem, which has primarily affected women. The Government does not see legislation as the only tool for eliminating the pay gap. Legislation is aimed primarily at securing individual rights. The Government wants to focus on wage formation in general, how the pay gap is entrenched in institutional arrangements, social norms, market systems and pay policies. This approach implies not only that we will shift the focus from mere legislation, but also away from explaining the pay gap in terms of deficits in women, like female characteristics or women’s behaviour or preferences.

In our efforts to reach the goal of equal pay we are for the time being implementing projects that are in line with this approach. In addition, I see public awareness, research, network development and international co-operation as crucial.

Norway has managed a European project funded by the European Commission’s Community Framework Programme on gender equality, together with partners from five other European countries. The project has examined the gender pay gap in a broad perspective, against the backdrop of wage formation and pay systems. Case studies of three occupations – teaching, engineering and the food and fish processing industry – were carried out in the six countries.

The studies show that job segregation is one major explanation for differences in the gender wage gap. The gender pay gap arises from two main sources, the segregation of women and men in different occupations, firms and positions, and wage differences that consistently favour male-dominated jobs. Skills seen as female tend to be less highly rewarded than skills typically seen as male.

The studies show that there are several mechanisms at work at the same time, which may be one of the reasons why the gender pay gap seems to be pervasive and persistent across both time and different labour market institutions. It is not clear how the trend towards more flexible organisations and autonomous work will affect the gender pay gap. Due to a more highly educated work force, jobs may become less gender-specific, and workplaces may become less gender-segregated. At the same time the increasing labour market participation of women will continue and may be accompanied by more segregation and a widening of the pay gap.

I would now like to say a few words about two projects that are currently being carried out with a view to translating the knowledge we have gained into concrete results.

In 2002, a hearing financed by the Nordic countries was held for experts and social partners on new methods and tools for fighting the pay gap. The hearing led to a new four-year Nordic project on equal pay, to be carried out in the period 2003-2006, which is to be funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers. The project will explore means of obtaining better and comparable Nordic statistics, analyse the relationship between wage formation and the pay gap, and examine pay policies and the relationship between gender segregation in the labour market and differences in pay.

As stated in our report, in 2002 the Government initiated a project with the aim of developing a gender-neutral job-evaluation system that is easy to use. The project is, for the time being, in the process of testing and implementing the evaluation system at 14 public and private workplaces. The first results indicate that the system functions well. It measures the value of women’s and men’s work and compares wages across positions and levels both at individual workplaces and across workplaces. The testing is carried out in close co-operation with the workplaces themselves. The job-evaluation system is designed to identify some gender-based differences, and one workplace has already reported the first concrete wage adjustment in favour of some of their female employees.

(Violence and sexual assaults against women)

The last issue I would like to discuss is the challenges we face when it comes to violence and sexual abuse of women – problems that continue to ruin the lives of many women in my country in spite of 25 years of gender-equality policy. Generally speaking combating violence is one of my government’s highest priorities, and this includes special efforts to combat violence against women.

This is a field where it is not easy to measure progress. The problems tend to be hidden, private and unseen. Since the seventies, when we started the process of making these questions a problem for society, the help we have been able to offer the victims has improved a lot. We are not quite so sure of the progress that has been made in preventing abuse and violence. Some statistics have been given in our report, but we have to bear in mind that underreporting is still common, and that it is only in the past few years that we have supplemented crime statistics with polls asking people about their experiences. We still do not fully know how reliable the information we receive is.

Through our ongoing plan of action to combat domestic violence, we have a unique and effective collaboration between the most relevant ministries in these questions. In September this year the Commission on Violence against Women will submit its report. This will give us an overview of the measures and results in the field, including legal measures, social services, women’s shelters and health care, to mention a few. Our revised plan of action for the years to come will take the Commission’s findings and recommendations into account.

We already know enough in some issues to take action. The provisions of the Penal Code regulating sexual crimes were last amended in 2000, and further amendments relating to this field are under discussion.

I was rather shocked to learn that a health survey carried out in 1999 among Norwegian women aged 20 to 49 indicated that five per cent of them had been raped by someone other than their partner, while 10 per cent reported that they had been raped by their partner. Some of these women took refuge in a shelter. Every year approximately 2700 women take refuge in Norwegian shelters, many of them together with their children. This figure has been relatively stable for the last five years. But while the number of women born in Norway has declined slightly, the number of women born outside Norway is steadily rising. This indicates that many of the new inhabitants of Norway do not have the resources – that is family, money of their own – to get out of a violent relationship. It also means that the shelters have to build up competence and knowledge of how to effectively help these new groups.

Trafficking in women and children is another fairly new problem for us.

Norway is mainly a country of destination for trafficked persons. The main focus in Norway has been on trafficking in women and children related to sexual exploitation. National reports on prostitution show a significant increase in the number of non-Norwegian nationals involved in prostitution during the 1990s and a dramatic increase during the last few years.

The majority came from or via the Russian Federation, the Baltic countries and other Eastern and Central European countries. There are also women from Thailand and Latin America. Although we have indications that organised crime groups are involved to an increasing degree, there is still little available information on many aspects of trafficking.

The Norwegian Government attaches great importance to preventing trafficking in human beings, criminalising all aspects of trafficking, and supporting and protecting the victims. We are currently working on a plan of action to prevent and combat trafficking in women and children, which will be launched this spring.

The action plan will deal with all parts of the chain of trafficking, and will thus cover supply, transit and demand., Many NGOs and other organisations are involved in the process of preparing the plan of action. On a general level efforts are being made to engage in dialogue and co-operation with partners who have knowledge and/or experience that will be relevant for the plan. And we are leaning heavily on international co-operation and initiatives in this field. Through the Nordic Council of Ministers we carried out a Nordic-Baltic Campaign against trafficking last year. Norway has signed the UN Palermo Convention and the three protocols. And we have begun preparations for ratification.

Two other issues that constitute severe violations of women’s rights have been on the political agenda in my country during the last few years. These are forced marriages and genital mutilation. These practices are not accepted in Norway, and as you can read in our reports and the additional answers given, we have tried to fight these practices by means of several action plans and other political measures. I particularly want to underline that in these questions we rely heavily on a dialogue with NGOs, individuals and communities that represent the cultures in which these practices have their roots. This is necessary both in order to fight these practices effectively, and to ensure that this is done with the necessary respect for cultural differences.

The Norwegian Government has provided financial support for a feasibility study for a possible world-wide hearing of best practices concerning the battle against violence against women. I am looking forward to the report that is expected by the end of this month, which will include proposals for further planning and structure.

In this rather short address on the large issue of women’s rights and gender equality, I have tried to give you a picture of some of the results and solutions we have found in our work in Norway, as well as the problems we still are facing. My delegation will be ready to revert to these questions and to other matters during the examination.