what makes nordic countries a gender equality model
TRANSCRIPT
"WHAT MAKES NORDIC COUNTRIES A GENDER EQUALITY MODEL-
EFFECTS ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND LEADERSHIP"
KEY-NOTE SPEECH BY DR ERATO KOZAKOU MARCOULLISFORMER MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF CYPRUS
AT THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON WOMEN ENTERPRENEURS AND LEADERS UNIVERSITY OF NICOSIA 23 SEPTEMBER 2016
ECONOMIC PARTICIPATION AND
OPPORTUNITIES• All 5 Nordic Countries feature in the top
20 of the Economic Participation and Opportunities Subindex
• the labor force participation rates for women are among the highest in the world;
• salary gaps between women and men are among the lowest in the world;
• and women have abundant opportunities to rise to positions of leadership.
POLITICAL EMPOWERMENT
• Measures the gap between men and women at the highest level of political decision-making through the ratio of women to men in minister-level position, the ratio of women to men in parliamentary positions and women in leadership
• The Nordic Countries have achieved remarkable successes with regards to policies aimed at promoting women's political and economic leadership
• The Nordic countries gained a head start by giving women the right to vote before others did (Finland in 1906, Norway in 1913, Iceland and Denmark in 1915 and Sweden in 1919
• Today, Sweden has among the highest percentages of women in parliament in the world (43.7 percent) while the other Nordic countries are almost as successful. Indeed, all the Nordic countries rank among the top 20 in the world for the number of women in parliament.
NORDIC FEMALE HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT
ICELANDPRESIDENT Vigdís Finnbogadóttir P.M. Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir
NORDIC FEMALE HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT
FINLAND Tarja Kaarina Halonen P.M Anneli Jäätteenmäki P.M. Mari Kiviniemi
NORDIC FEMALE HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENTDENMARK
P.M. Helle Thorning-Schmidt
NORDIC FEMALE HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT
NORWAY P.M. Gro Harlem Brundtland P.M. Erna Solberg
THE 6 FEMALE FOREIGN MINISTERS OF SWEDEN
Nordic Council of Ministers
• Promotes equal treatment and gender equality
• Power and influence are distributed equally between genders
• Women and men have same rights, duties and opportunities
• An equal society requires a society free from all types of gender-related violence and other forms of discrimination.
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FACTS AND FIGURES ABOUT NORDIC GENDER EQUALITY1. Between 75 and 80% of women aged 20-64 are employed
2. While average wage discrepancies still persist, they are on the decline.
3. Women’s equal educational opportunities. In fact, education is key to Nordic countries’
achievements in gender equality and today more than 60 % of University graduates are
women.
4. In Nordic Political Assemblies women are well represented. For more than 20 years
women have held 40% or more of the parliament seats.
5. Women also hold top political posts
6. Nordic women do not have to choose between career and family.
7. Gender education starts at the preschool age and runs up to University levels.
FACTS AND FIGURES ABOUT NORDIC GENDER EQUALITY
8. All legal obstacles that excluded women from certain professions have long been removed.
9. Generous parental leave policies are perhaps the most important factor of the gender equality successes of all Nordic countries.
Parents get to share a total of 480 days of paid leave per child born or adopted, which leave must be claimed before the child
turns eight. Though in reality the bulk of parental leave is still taken by mothers, today fathers claim about 20 percent or more of
all parental leave. Each parent has 60-90 days of leave reserved specifically for him or her, which are not transferable.
10. The Nordic Welfare Model provides for tax-financed basic social services, primarily health, childcare, education and retirement
benefits. This welfare model, which is based on a common set of basic values, of equal opportunities, social solidarity and
security for all, constitutes the backbone on which gender equality is based and has become successful.
11. Gender mainstreaming is prevalent and well budgeted in all Nordic countries.
12. Since the 1970’s, when the proportion of women in national Parliaments in the Nordic countries had already surpassed 20%,
Political parties in nearly all Nordic countries had introduced voluntary gender quotas, which resulted in higher numbers of
female members of Parliament over the years.
13. In Finland the First Act on Gender Equality was introduced in 1986 and provides for gender balance in all state committees and
municipal boards.
14. In Norway, since 2003, publicly listed companies have been required to have 40 percent of each sex on their boards. Other Nordic
countries are adopting similar measures.
Representation of women on boards of large publicly-listed companies in the EU, April 2014
European Commission
Directive on gender balance on
corporate boards
• Targeting a 40% representation of women by 2020
• Adopted by European Parliament in November 2013
• Pending decision of the European Council ,
