Thank you chair,

Thank you to the South African Presidency for putting gender equality in the workforce high on the agenda.

As we all know: when more women work, economies grow.

But despite progress, there are still gaps between men and women that we need to close.

In Norway, we have worked systematically over many years to promote gender equality.

Since the early 1970s, female labour participation has increased by about 30 percentage points.

Today, the gap between men and women in employment is around five percentage points.

Several things have helped us get here.

First, education. More women than men now complete higher education in Norway. Free education and good student support have made that possible.

Second, family policies. Parents share paid parental leave, and fathers have their own dedicated share. Parents can stay home with sick children, and many have flexible working hours.

Third, childcare. Almost all children in Norway attend kindergarten, and our government are lowering the fees further.

Now a family pays two-thirds less then when we entered government in 2021.

This helps more mothers stay in or return to work, especially minority women and those with refugee background.

We see clearly that when it’s easier to combine work and family, more women enter and stay in the workforce.

This has been a win for our economy.

Women’s participation has been key to building Norway’s welfare system—health care, education, and other public services that benefit everyone.

But like many countries, we face challenges.

Our population is ageing.

To keep our economy strong and our welfare systems going, we need more people in work—especially women, older workers, and those with reduced work capacity.

That’s why we’ve set a national goal: to increase the employment rate for people aged 20 to 64 to 82 percent by 2030, and to 83 percent by 2035.

Closing the gender employment gap is essential to reach this goal.

We believe that more diversity means better workplaces.

Companies benefit from more innovation, better decisions, and stronger performance when women and men work together at all levels.

But for this to happen, women’s work must be valued equally.

The gender pay gap in Norway is smaller than in many other countries—but it still exists.

In 2024, women earned about 95 percent of men’s salaries among full-time employees.

That is progress, but it’s not enough.

One key reason is that men and women often work in different sectors and roles.

Women are also more likely to work part-time.

But we are seeing change—especially among younger women with higher education.

More of them now work full-time.

To move faster, we are:

  • Working to get more gender balance in both education and jobs
  • Promoting pay transparency and wage reporting
  • Studying the causes of wage gaps, together with social partners
  • Encouraging large companies to do proper wage mapping

Understanding where the gaps come from is the first step to closing them.

We also appreciate the important work of the ILO and the OECD to help countries monitor pay differences and understand the root causes.

This helps all of us move forward.

Colleagues,

Gender equality in the workforce is not just about fairness.

It is about using the full potential of our people—women and men alike.

If we want to build strong, sustainable economies, we need everyone at the table.

Thank you.