iKNOW Politics expert workshop

Sted : FAFO-bygningen, Oslo, 5. november kl.1200
Arrangør: iKNOW Politics

Dear friends,
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to give a keynote on Norwegian experiences regarding women in politics. Norway has a long tradition for working for gender equality in politics, and although we have come far, challenges still remain.

It is now nearly a century gone since Norwegian women achieved full suffrage in 1913. As a matter of fact, my great, great grandfather was the first to raise that question in the parliament. That was I think in 1896. But he lost. In the debate before the voting, parliamentmembers who were against the proposal claimed that if women got the right to vote, the porridge would burn on the oven and children will cry, lounging for their mothers. My great great grandfather however, stated the following: This is about power. If women get more power, men loose power. It was about power then, it is about power today.

To me gender equality is about redistributing power and care. Women need more power, men need to be more at home with their kids and men to take more part in caring for sick and elderly people. I think this is a win win situation. Men also loose in an not equal society. They die earlier, they are more exposed for violence, the commit suicide more often, and most important: To many men find out too late that they should have spent more time with their families.

Modern societies need to utilize all human resources, with their personal qualities, education and skills, regardless of gender. Both women and men must be able to participate in working life, social life and family life. It is a matter of democracy, and to be honest: It should be a matter of common sense.

Women in leadership and female entrepreneurship are good for economy and leads to competitive and innovative business enterprises! This strategy of economic success can only be achieved by men and women in common!
European countries, like rest of the world, needs to bring more women into the economy and we must encourage people to stay longer at the labour market. Many countries now face the challenges of an increasing elderly population together with falling birth-rates. In such a picture, it is important to make use of all the human resources in a country combined with a high enough fertility rate in order to maintain the welfare state and to keep the economy going.

More women than men choose higher education these days – in other words women are the future entrepreneurs and innovators.

One of the silliest things I hear is that we don't have enough qualified women. In Norway, there are a high number of women in paid work, and Norwegian women are also highly educated. For several years, more women then men have finished a higher education. Some Norwegian figures: Almost 65 per cent of the students at universities and colleges are women. 50 per cent of the law school graduates are women, so are 40 per cent of the MBA-graduates, approximately 70 per cent of the graduates from the Veterinary College, the School of dental surgery and the psychology graduates. Almost 60 per cent of Medical School graduates are women. Despite the fact that an increasing number of women has finished a higher education, the number of women on company board remains small.  But the reason is not that we don't have enough qualified women – indeed we do – it's that women's competence is ignored.

The key in economics of gender is a redistribution of power, care and work. When doing so, we will meet strong resistance. People seldom let go of power voluntary. There are counter forces to such a development. These counter forces needs to be addressed.

We are the first and as far as I know the only country in the world to have an Act on gender representation on the boards of public limited companies (from 1 January 2006) in state owned companies and inter municipal companies (from 1 January 2004). Personally I am all for the use of quotas. Application of quotas is not about reinstating competent men with mediocre women, but to recruit skilled women to replace mediocre men. Men in leading positions have their own recruiting methods. 

Men often say that they have to work overtime, that they cant reach home before the evening new. I wonder…. Maybe it has more to do with the fact that if they come home before the telly is on, they will have to talk. Not all of us are good at that.

My political party, the Labour party, made history when Gro Harlem Brundtland became the first women prime minister in 1981. Five years later, in 1986, 44 percent of the appointed members of her Government were women. Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland gave the following comment: “It is in the interests of society as a whole that women’s values and women’s sense of justice be integrated into political life.”

And let me add: It’s in the interest of the society to challenge the traditional masculine power, and by doing so; we give the beautiful word “father” a new meaning..