Equality a Key to Economic Development and Democracy

Dear Ambassadors,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Participants,

It is a pleasure for me, together with State Secretary Mr. Erik Lahnstein, Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to welcome all of you to this conference.
As you know, this conference is part of the preparations for the new EEA (European Economic Agreement) and Norway Grants for the period 2009 – 2014. (I will however, leave to Mr. Lahnstein to comment specifically on the grants.)

We are on historical grounds. It was in this very same wooden house, in these rooms, that the political agreement of our coalition government was drawn up in 2005.

After the election in 2009, the political declaration was renewed. Our gender equality policy was an integrated part of the agreement, with distinct targets to be reached.  

The Cabinet is divided on the issue of Norwegian EU membership. But we are not divided on the question of the need to integrate a gender perspective in the work and the use of funds within the European cooperation. For us, this is a matter of solidarity!

Norway has ample experience on how gender equality can contribute to social, democratic and economic development. We want to share this experience with you. My message to you, is that gender equality combined with modern family policy are critical to the development of a modern society.  

You are important actors in the field of gender equality in many European countries. You can certainly make a difference when it comes to using a gender point of view in shaping a new and sound economic policy in your countries.

Gender equality and family policies
The “Columbus’ egg” of Norwegian politics has been to combine gender equality with comprehensive family and parental provisions. We want to secure both women’s and men’s possibilities to work and to care for children and family. Not to be forced to choose one or the other.

Thus, we want to:

- enable both women and men to combine paid employment and family life  - on an equal footing

- secure a good social environment for the children

- ensure that the business sector and public administration have access to competent heads and hands

We have several and quite generous gender-neutral arrangements to support parents combining economic activity with child care.

Parents are entitled to (approximately) one year of paid leave when they have a child, and the right to a further one year leave without pay.
In order to stimulate equality in parenthood we have, for the last 17 years, legislated a father’s quota in the paid parental leave scheme.

Mr. Inge Ovesen at my Ministry will give you more details on this later to day.

A key factor for reconciliation between work- and family life is to have good, accessible child care facilities at an affordable price. One of the highest profiled political goals in recent years has been to achieve full day-care coverage of high quality in all municipalities (430). Employees (regardless of gender) who care for children below 12 years of age are also entitled to paid leave for up to 10 days per year if the child is ill.

These are not only generous arrangements because Norway can afford it. It has proved to be good economies for our country. In this country we have managed to combine high employment rates among women (and men) with high fertility rates.

Fertility rates
Most industrialised countries face a dramatic demographic development. Many countries are struggling with an aging population and decreasing fertility rates. The fertility rate in Norway was declining from the years right after the Second World War and until the 1990ies. Then the tendency turned. Today the fertility rate is 1,98 and among the top compared to other industrialised countries. We believe there is a positive link between the fertility rate, employment rate and our family and gender equality policies.

The role of men
Gender equality is about both women and men. We believe that gender equality is closely linked to quality of life. Men too have to be involved in the gender equality project. Also men need to embrace the freedom which comes with changing old, limiting male role stereotypes - stereotypes that often reproduce unwanted and harmful roles and practices.

Gender equality is a win-win situation for both women and men. It is time for new alliances between the sexes. We strongly believe that talent is evenly divided among women and men – for child-caring as well as for business.

 

Profound political will
The key to increased equality is redistribution of power, care and work – and to achieve this we need to change attitudes, tradition and cultures!

Let me underline the fact that social change does not merely come by itself!  Change has to be led by political will and decisions, mirroring values and norms in the population. Our experience is that targeted and affirmative action and legislation in the field of gender equality and family provisions are needed, and will lead to change.

To reach this level of development governments need to design clever policies and structures to facilitate families and children. At the same time we need to boost the economy by employing the best talents and heads regardless of gender. These structures enable people to make real and free choices like having children along with pursuing a career.

Norway has worked on such schemes and structures since the 1950ies and thus paved the way for making able women and girls visible in the labor market and eligible to high positions.

The use of quotas is not a new measure in Norwegian policymaking. It is a controversial tool. But it has proved to be very effective.

In the 1970ies, some political parties adopted male/female quotas on the electoral lists on voluntary basis. Since 1986 all governments have kept the unwritten rule of at least 40 per cent of each sex in the Cabinet. Today the gender balance in the Cabinet is complete with a 50-50 representation.

The Gender Equality Act has since 1981 contained rules on gender representation (40 percent since 1988) in publicly appointed boards, committees, councils, delegations etc. Since  1993 we have also had a provision in the Municipal Act to secure gender balance in local political committees.

In 2003 the large enterprises noted on the stock exchange market (Public Limited Companies), recruited only 7 per cent women to their boardrooms. Today women hold more than 40 per cent of these boardroom positions. The Norwegian Parliament passed a law requiering this in 2003. We have introduced the same rule for state-owned companies and cooperatives, and we have recently included small companies where municipalities own 2/3 or more of the shares.

We hope that the increased number of women on company-boards will make women more visible in top management positions in the private sector (20 % on an average today) as well! But affirmative action is only effective in a gender equal society where women and girls are educated and working on an equal footing with men.

To sum up:
Gender equality is about both women and men. Norway’s GNP and revenues from petrol has helped to maintain and develop our welfare system. But I will remind you of the fact that the pillars of our welfare system was drawn up at the time when Norway was a poor nation (the National Social Insurance Scheme was introduced in 1966, Family Allowance in 1947).

Our investment in equality has in fact contributed to build our economic stable welfare society. 

We know that women’s contribution to the economy is decisive in ensuring sustainable economic growth and development. There is clear evidence that gender balance in education, working life and economy makes a significant difference in GNP, effectiveness, innovation and competitive edge! 

Gender equality is smart economics!

However, Norway still has challenges:
- men's violence against women
- equal pay between women and men (work of equal value)

Finally, let me underscore that the greatest gains countries can achieve, economically as well politically, come with:

• empowering women,
• ensuring equal opportunity,
• health care,
• and increasing the ratio of women’s participation in paid work.

This applies to rich and poor countries alike!

Information from Norway and other countries, the discussions and lessons learned, will hopefully represent some inspiration you may bring back home. I hope that during these two days you will make many useful contacts and learn about many new ideas, as to include gender equality and family policy in the programmes for application to the EEA-funds!

The best of luck with the conference and thank you for your attention.