Ladies and gentlemen!

I am very pleased to be here today, and to have been given the honour of opening this conference.

Equality and diversity in management is an issue that the Ministry of Trade and Industry attaches great importance to. Why is that?

We believe that the human mind is the biggest resource in building national strength. And we believe that prosperity only can be achieved by exploiting the potential in all people, both women and men.

The notion of equality is not about outcomes or incomes; but about equal worth.

There is talent and ability and caring in each individual that often lies unnurtured and discouraged. Developing the potential in every one of us is therefore our goal.

We want our businesses to be profitmaking, because it is only through profitable businesses that people can be employed, but it is important that profit isn't everything a business should be about.

Therefore we see a strong link between our welfare policies and our policies to strengthen Norwegian businesses.

Research shows that men who stay at home on parental leave for a certain period of time not only do more homework (as if we have to discover the need for it…), but they also feel a stronger obligation to stay at home to care for sick children later.

Many employers think of women as the child-carers, and sometimes prefer hiring men for certain jobs, particularly leading positions. Challenging these attitudes and showing that men also want to avail of their parental leave opportunities could help ensure that access to jobs and promotions are more equal for women and men. This could also help the work on closing the gender wage gap.

Now we have a generation of young men growing up who want to take a more active part in their children’s childhood.

However, being present when your partner is giving birth and availing of your parental leave rights are not a result of men’s political struggle.

…or does anybody here remember my fathers generation in the frontlines of a demonstration delivering the message for the right to stay home on parental leave? I can’t remember my father shouting in the corridors at the hospital, demanding the right to be by my mother’s side when she gave birth to my sister.

No! These new opportunities and values for men - to be a more active partner – is the victory of our mothers- and girl friends struggle.

In society there is many negative forces which link manhood and masculinity with greed and violence. It is also my obligation to show and tell my children that masculinity is not about that, but about care, justice and shelter.

As a half time, lone father with two kids, I have experienced and discovered that there is a lot to fight for. But I don’t want my mother, girl friend or aunt to do that fight for me! I shall do that fight for my children and me myself!

Today Norway has one of the highest proportions of employed women in the Western world, and women are in the majority among the graduates of our colleges and universities. At the same time, Norwegian women are at the very top of the European birth-rate-statistics. This is a competitive advantage that our businesses can benefit from.

However, statistics show that Norwegian women are poorly represented at senior levels in our companies, and that the proportion of women in top management positions is decreasing.

Realising the female potential will provide a vital stimulus to the economy. Women possess valuable leadership skills, and bring new perspectives into decision making and problem solving. They are therefore needed at all levels in our companies.

In order to meet this challenge, the Ministry of Trade and Industry has initiated several measures. I will briefly describe some of the initiatives we have taken in this respect:

SND, our Industrial and Regional development fund, provides financial grants for industrial development, and has a leading role in public sector innovation and SME activities. In a White Paper recently presented to the Storting on the future of SND, we stress the importance of integrating the gender perspective into all decision-making processes within the organisation. Over a 3-year period, we have also allocated about 25 million Norwegian kroner to a scheme within SND that focuses on the advancement of women in private sector positions.

Expanding our knowledge base is another important element in this work. We are proud to be the first Nordic country that has conducted a study on advancement of women in business, and in a presentation later this morning, Mrs. Marit Hoel will share the results of her research with us.

Our quest for knowledge also includes women entrepreneurship and the factors influencing their development. Women entrepreneurs make new contributions to business, create jobs and provide for both new ideas and innovative ways of putting them into practice. If we are to efficiently provide support for women to establish their own business, it is important to have the facts that can give us a complete picture of the current situation.

All the issues I have mentioned are about gender equality, and a part of the political scene, which we men should feel the obligation to act upon.

That would be good;

for our children,

for ourselves,

for our mothers, sisters, wives and girl-friends,

for the employment situation

for our businesses

and; It will increase the adaptability for the young mothers in the labour market.

We cannot compete in the knowledge Economy with only half of our population!

Thank you and I wish you an inspiring and interesting day!