Scandinavian Women• Gender Studies• Stereotypes

Stereotypes / Looks

Stereotypes / Health

• WHO 1996 physical health survey

• Scandinavian Countries at the top of the list

• Exercise / Sports • Diet • Fashion

Exercise / Sport• P.E. in schools from K-12

• Sports clubs• Regular

exercise • Sports:

soccer, badminton,

team-handball, volleyball, tennis, basketball

Diet• Awareness of

healthy food• Pork / poultry /

fish• Changing eating

habits with US influence

• Growing number of overweight adults and children

• Lower rate of obesity than U.S.

• Rugbrød (Rye – Bread)• Heavy Bread with lots of grain

form the basis of the Scandinavian diet

The skinny, the young, the healthyFashion – for:

Fashion - Weddings

•

Liberal / Promiscuous ?• Tidens Kvinder: Women of

our Time• Target group: (men and)

women from 18-40 years • Number of readers: 187,000• Published every other month• ”Erotic magazine for women.

Contains everything about the joys of eroticism for those who love to make love and want new inspiration. Articles, short stories and suggestions for a better sex life.”

                                                

Pornography• In Denmark, written pornography

was legalized in 1967• Picture pornography in 1969• Prostitution is not legal (Holland,

Nebraska)• Sex-trade

Sexuality / Morality Feud• 1880’s, heated

debate about sex• ”The Big Nordic War

about sexual morals”• Authors,

suffragettes, intellectuals

• Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson• Georg Brandes• Industrialization and

Modernity

• Marriage and the family - sexuality for procreation

• The daughters of the bourgeoisie: wives and mothers

• The sons: active and

outgoing breadwinners

• Women had no sexual urges.

• Sexual behavior = mentally deranged

• Men had strong and natural sexual urges which must be satisfied

• Prostitution, which was tacitly accepted

Albertine, 1884• 1863: Law about police

supervision of prostitutes

• 1874: Law about curbing STD’s (primarily incurable syphilis)

• Legalized prostitution, registration of the prostitutes, and weekly medical examinations

• Women and Christian circles violently opposed this double standard

Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson 1832-1910• BB wrote ”A Glove” in 1883, promoting celibacy for both men and women

• Responses:• Women’s

Associations: healthy and wholesome

• Realists / Naturalists: sexual freedom for both sexes

                               

’The Feud’ gradually died out, but women started advocating different forms of freedom: Gymnastics, 1909

Bicycling, 1890

Reformdress, 1907

No corset, no bustle, loose skirts, pants underneath = mobility, 1909

Suffrage = the right to vote• Finland 1906• Norway 1913• Denmark 1915• The UK 1918• Sweden and

Iceland 1919• The USA 1920

Suffragettes• Inspired by the

British movement led by Emmiline and Christobel Pankhurst

• And the US movement led by Susan B. Anthony

Elna Munch in the Danish Parliament, 1918

Women entered many new fields, 1929

The World Wars

• Scandinavian countries did not participate on a grand scale

• But women started working – here 1928

Jobs Nurses 1938

• Women have always held most of the nurturing jobs

Operator 1940’s

• But more and more jobs were opened to women

• And women had to make ends meet

And finally cars became available after WWII

But most women still had their feet on the ground and worked long hours in hard jobs

Modern Times

• Feminist Revolution• Equal Rights• Body Image• Abortion / Reproductive Rights• The ”Soft” Man• Equal Pay

Rødstrømper (Red Stockings)

• Grassroot movement

• Established 1970

• Traditional women’s roles

• Young and old, housewives and career women

                                                                                        

                                                                                                                 

Ø-lejre (Island-camps) Femø 1971

• 1960’s and 1970’s

• Discussion of roles

• No men and boys over 12

• Collective living and sharing of duties and enjoyment

• Involvement of local women

Equal Rights

• Demonstrations• Paying 80% of bus tickets• Few women getting a higher

education• Few women in leading positions• Few women in politics• Women working outside and in the

home

Body Image

• Commercialized images of women

• Bra burning• Nudity was

promoted on the beaches

• Make-up was regarded with contempt

Reproductive Rights

• Sexual experimentation

• Communal living and sharing

• Free medical services

• Easy access to contraception

                                                                                                                 

Abortion• Abortion legalized

in Jan. 1973 (US Dec. 1972)

• Not challenged• Sexual education

in schools • Number of

abortions going down

• Morning-after pill

                                                                                                                  

The ”Soft” Man

• The 1970’s saw the rise of male groups

• Attempting to raise awareness

• Redefinition of roles

• ”The oppressed can’t teach the oppressor how not to oppress”

Equal Pay

• Equal pay for equal work instituted in 1919, but didn’t materialize

• Norway: 1959• Sweden: 1960• Denmark: 1973• Women still paid less than men!• No sex discrimination in job postings

Right Now• Ideology and Welfare• Everyday Life• The importance of women

– Pre-natal and post-natal care– Leave of absence– The father’s role– Sick leave– Vacations– Childcare

Ideology, Welfare, and Everyday Life

• Welfare state needs tax-payers

• Women are important

• Two incomes attractive

• Volunteer work • Wages are higher,

but so are taxes and prices

Pre-natal and post-natal care

• Maternity leave• 1974: 16

weeks• 1991: 8

months• 2003: 1 year • Full pay• Guaranteed job on

return• Regular check-ups• Free hospital care• Free visiting

nurses

                                                                                                                  

Leave of absence / The father’s role

• The father gets 2 weeks paid paternity leave

• The mother and father can divide 32 weeks

Sick Leave and Vacation• Public sector: fired

after 120 days of consecutive illness

• Parents take off the first day a child is ill

• Mininum of 6 weeks paid vacation in a year. Some have more.

• Charter trips to the south

Childcare

• Nurseries and daycare; 6mths- 3 years: $280-350/mth

• Kindergarten 3-6 yrs: $210/mth

• Kindergarten-class 6-7 years: free

• After school activities: $150/mth

• Very affordable

                                                        

        

Education• A majority of women in high school (51%)• A majority of women in Universities• A majority of women in the sciences• But fewer women in ph.D and research

programs

Professions for Women• Many ’nurturing’

jobs:• Caregivers / Nurses• Doctors• Dentists• Midwives• Education• Male dominance in

engineering, technology, physics, chemistry and math

Career Opportunities

• Private Sector

• Top Managers:• Men = 96 %• Women = 4%

• Public Sector

• Top Managers:• Men = 82%• Women = 18%

Affirmative Action• Instituted in the

70’s• Ministry for the

Equality of the Sexes

• Advertisements and job postings must be addressed to both genders

• Age- and ethnic discrimination is illegal

• The State Ombud (Ombudsmand) can decide cases

Politics: Percentage of women candidates (RED) elected to the Danish Parliament

Danish Parliament

• 179 places, 66 women (38%)

• Christiansborg Castle in Copenhagen

• The Cabinet: 19 Secretaries, 6 women (26%)

- Education- Attorney General- Integration and

refugees- Developmental

contributions / 3rd world- Environment & Nordic

cooperation- Health and Human

Services and Equality

US Legislature

• The US House of Representatives: 435 seats, 74 women (17%)

• The US Senate: 100 seats, 16 women (16%)

• The Cabinet: President, Vice President + 15 Secretaries, 4 women (24%)

- State - Transportation - Labor - Education

Literature

• Pia Tafdrup • Dorrit Willumsen• Suzanne Brøgger• Inger Christensen• Marta Tikkanen• Vigdis Bjørkøv• Torill Hauger• Iben Sandemose

Music

• Sanne Salomonsen

• Anne Linnet• Lis Sørensen• Michala Petri• Sissel

Kjyrkebo

Painters

• Ida Schandorph

• Inge Ellegaard

• Anna Ancher• Harriet

Backer• Bodil

Halvarson