It is with curiosity that I follow the current discussions on gender in the Norwegian media. Having lived abroad since 2004 and worked internationally for 10 years, my day-to-day life is not the same as the Norwegian women. And therefore I particularly like to know what happens back in the mother land, the country famous for its egalitarianism and the first country to implement quotas to get more women on boards.
There is a long tradition in Norway of focusing on women’s right to equal pay and access to senior roles in corporate and governments. Only Iceland has a higher proportion of women in work than Norway, with seven out of ten women at work (compared to eight out of ten men). In 1913, Norway was the first sovereign state to grant women the right to vote (men were granted the right to vote in 1898). According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), Norway ranks 2nd in the world on the Gender Gap Index (Iceland ranks 1st).
But still.. Recent studies show that the Norwegian women still choose fairly traditionally; they are highly represented in the less-paid public sector in jobs like nursing and teaching. And many work part time – which proves to be a blocker to get to higher positions. According to a report made by Catherine Hakim at the London School of Economics, countries like the USA (a country that offers no paid maternity leave), have more success in getting women up into the ranks in corporate and governments. And this is what kicked off a discussion in the Norwegian media the last couple of weeks. Some people say; « women need to choose like men », « men have to participate more at home » and « our social benefits take the mother’s away from the work scene for too long ». Others say; « we have real freedom to choose what we want, and we want children AND work », « women have more talent for jobs in the caring industry ».
I think three factors influence the current « state of the nation »:
1, Culture. In Norway it is not as common as in many other countries to hire full-time nannies and house cleaners. This may be due to the non-hierarchical structure and the importance of everyone being equal. Hiring domestic help feels uncomfortable to many as this could give a feeling of being in a “master/servant” situation. Even though the domestic work is fairly evenly shared between the man and the woman, it is still the women who FEEL responsible for shopping and cleaning and taking care of the family (one could argue that she could let go a bit more..). Some years ago there was an article in the financial magazine “Hegnar” that pointed out the fact that even though there are less women working in e.g France, those who do, get to higher and more powerful positions. This article also pointed out that women have to choose; they cannot be powerful leaders, caring mothers who cook all the meals and attend all school events – and a magnificent wife. Choices and prioritizations have to be made, and it appears that the Norwegian women still want to do it all – but they see it is not possible. Result: part-time job.
2, Society. On the subject of “freedom to choose”, I am not so sure… Even with years of trying to make men and women choose untraditionally for their gender, there are still ideas about what is “a girl thing to do” and “a boy thing to do”. I participated in a discussion online last week, making this point, and a friend of mine came back to me with an example. She told me that her son wanted to dance ballet, which of course he was allowed to do. She was surprised to hear all the reactions! “Isn’t that for girls?” And that is now, today, year 2011.. Shouldn’t girls and boys have the freedom to choose whatever they want without getting any comments about it? So, my point is that the society we live in, even in Norway, still has some ideas about what girls and boys should choose that is “correct” for their gender. I believe this subconsciously steer some of us and the career choices we make.
3, Communication. Through what I have read in the news online these last couple of weeks, I get the sense that the Norwegian men are tired. Tired of the focus on women, tired of hearing that women “hit the glass ceiling”, tired of hearing they are not helping enough at home and with the children, tired of not feeling listened to in matters of sharing the children in a divorce and tired of not feeling appreciated for the changes they have done. Maybe the focus needs to change in Norway? More of women AND men’s rights? This is already a dialogue, but how can the dialogue be improved..?
On that note, I would recommend reading « 20 first »s blog. They point at the importance of stop talking about « rising women and falling men » and « we need men and companies to embrace the shift in women, not fear it. To meet them halfway, and dance a new dance. Women have their role to play here. » http://www.20-firstblog.com
Any thoughts?
