Promoting women and active fathers in attaining decision making positions

EU Informal Meeting of Ministers for Gender Equality and Family Affairs, Germany, Bad Pyrmont 15 – 16 May 2007

Promoting women and active fathers in attaining decision making positions

Director General Ms Arni Hole
Intervention on topic 3: Women and active fathers in management positions

 

Madame Chair, Distinguished Ministers.

First of all, I would like to express my gratitude, Madame Chair, for a most interesting day yesterday and for being invited to this meeting. Thank you!

If there is a “glass ceiling” preventing women`s access to the top executive level in the corporate sector, and I believe there is; how can we get about it?

I would like to share with you some of Norway's experience, - both successes and shortcomings -, in the work to increase the balance between men and women in economic and commercial decision making and leadership.

The Norwegian Government strategy to promote gender equality in the corporate sphere – and thus breaking the glass-ceiling, follows (at least) three paths:

Firstly: The use of gender balance quotas on company boards.

Secondly: The politicizing of fatherhood and use of incentives to promote caring masculinities.

Thirdly: The legal duty to work for Gender Equality in all private and public enterprises, and to report annually (stated in the GE Law, § 1 a).

As to the quotas:

Norwegian women are highly visible in the top level spheres of politics and public life. However, if we turn to Norwegian business and industry we find rather few women in senior positions and boardrooms.

The Government has taken a radical step towards change. We are the first and as far as I know the only country in the world to change company Laws requiring gender balanced representation on the boards of public limited companies (from 1 January 2006) in state owned companies and inter municipal companies (from 1 January 2004).  Enterprises will be “named and blamed” if they do not act in compliance with the law!

This shows a political will to redistribute power! On the other hand, the association of Norwegian Employers has responded positively by launching a 5 years program called “Female Future” – to train, recruit and mobilize excellent women to board – rooms and top management positions in both public and private companies. 

As to fatherhood:

To enable mothers and fathers to combine family life and career, Norwegian authorities have invested in good government schemes such as 1 year paid parental leave, a not transferable and obligatory paternity quota (6 weeks) which will be further extended, paid leave to stay at home with sick children, the right to apply for shorter and flexible working hours and, - not the least -, kindergartens to an affordable price for all types of families. 70 % of the women in Norway work (and 83 % of the mothers) and have a birth rate of 1.9.  Nevertheless, research shows that 43 % of women work part-time, while fathers of small children work the longest hours!

As a matter of fact, men too, find themselves squeezed between modern expectations of family life and career demands! This, among other issues, will be highlighted in the White Book on “Men and Gender Equality”, currently under preparation by my Government to be submitted in 2008. Equality needs boys and men!

Politicians should perhaps learn the language of business-and industry! Given the demographic evolution in Europe, a reputation of a family friendly atmosphere in enterprises will become a future asset in the competition for the best heads and hands – regardless of gender! It is like building a brand. Thus, Gender Equality is in the interest of the enterprises! In other words:

Gender Equality in decision-making positions gives a smart company profile!

Thank you!