Nødvendig – Nyttig – Rettferdig? Likestillingsargumenter i offentlig debatt

This article discusses the steadily stronger emphasize on diversity arguments which underscore ‘gender difference’ and diversity’s ‘utility’ as arguments in support of gender equality in Norwegian public debate. In both party political, femocratic and media mediated debates on gender equality, rights-based justifications seem largely to be replaced by a discourse prioritizing utility/profitability arguments. The article provides a series of examples of these strands of arguments in support of gender equality policies, and outlines a set of normative problems connected with the mixture of gender difference and utility based justifications. In contrast, we argue that comprehensions of ‘gender equality’ rather must be based on a principle of rights where understandings of gender differences are restricted to conditions for access: ‘an equal right to equal participation’. This discussion is supplemented with an analysis of attitudinal data from two surveys conducted as part of the Norwegian Power and Democracy Study (1998-2003), a large scale Elite Survey and a corresponding omnibus. One set of questions in both of these surveys asks people how they prioritize between different types of arguments in support of gender equality. The analysis indicates that the ‘diversity pays’ line of argumentation combined with a ‘rhetoric of difference’ mainly receives support on elite levels of Norwegian society

Political Intersectionality: Tackling Inequalities in Public Policies in Scandinavia

Political Intersectionality: Tackling Inequalities in Public Policies in Scandinavia An analytical approach to political intersectionality has not been in the foreground of the intersectionality paradigm during its first phase. It may, however, generate new insights, both for the intersectionality tradition and for the study of policies that are aimed at influencing social differentiations. The article explores the theoretical background of political intersectionality with a focus on public policies, which relates to a macro level of political intersectionality. A central issue is whether policies are based on a unitary, a multiple or an intersectional policy logic. Moreover, the questions are whether and intersectional approach is inclusive or if it exclusively can stand alone, and, further, whether it is always positive. This is addressed empirically in relation to gender and integrations policies in the three Scandinavian countries

Bringing Managers Back in: Support for Gender-Equality Measures in the Business Sector

The progression of gender balance in top positions at big corporations in Nordic countries has not lived up to the expectations. Inspired by studies emphasizing the crucial role of top management in gaining support for gender-equality measures to make changes happen, we set out to investigate what kind of policies top managers in Norway would prioritize to further gender balance in the executive ranks. We found that active recruitment policies receive the strongest support and quota and preferential-treatment policies the least support. We found clear similarities between men and women in the ranking of measures, although women generally indicated stronger support for most measures. We found no differences related to gender composition of the management group, but some differences across company types (subject to CBQ or not) were revealed. Although corporate-board quotas received the least support, there was no indication that these measures were strongly objected

«Bedre føre var enn etter snar». En studie om forebyggende tiltak og tidlige intervensjoner i ungdomsskolen som kan bidra til å hindre skolevegring

Masteroppgave i tilpassa opplæring - 201

Gendered Labor Market (dis)advantages in Nordic Welfare States. Introduction to the Theme of the Special Issue

Gender equality has been named as one of the normative foundations of Nordic wel- fare states. This is reflected in how, year after year, Nordic states rank among the most gender egalitarian countries in the world (see, e.g., World Economic Forum 2020). In Nordic countries, the state has been, and continues to be, a central actor in shaping women’s citizenship, labor market opportunities, and caring roles. Especially publicly funded welfare services and policies that facilitate the reconciliation of work and care have played a major part in advancing women’s labor market participation (see, e.g., Bergquist et al. 1999; Borchorst & Siim 2002; Ellingsæter & Leira 2006; Siim & Stoltz 2015). The institutional framework of Nordic welfare state policies has been central to what has been called the ‘social democratic public service route’ (Walby 2004).One of the important building blocks of gender equality has been the aim of making policies in Nordic countries ‘women-friendly’. More than 30 years ago, Helga Hernes (1987) identified the Nordic countries as ‘potentially women-friendly societies’. She char- acterized women-friendly societies as those that ‘would not force harder choices on women than on men’ (ibid., 15), particularly in relation to work and care. Hernes also envisaged that woman-friendliness should be achieved without increasing other forms of inequality, such as class or ethnicity-based inequalities among different groups of women.However, achieving gender equality in working life and the sort of womenfriendliness that Hernes envisaged at the societal level has in many ways also proved to be challenging, as the ties between the state and gender equality goals are more complex than what they might seem at first glance. Gender disparities have proven persistent also within the Nordic context. When we issued a call for this special issue, we were inter- ested in various forms of gendered labor market (dis)advantage in Nordic countries. Furthermore, we asked how gender segregation, welfare state policies, labor market policies, and various labor market actors interact to produce, maintain, challenge, or change gender equality in the labor market in the Nordic countries and beyond. The five articles presented in this special issue address the issue of gendered labor market (dis)advantages in Nordic countries from several vantage points, focusing on both on ‘traditional’ questions, such as corporate power and sustainable employment, and ‘emerging’ questions such as intersectionality, gender culture, and aesthetic work

Bringing Managers Back in: Support for Gender-Equality Measures in the Business Sector

The progression of gender balance in top positions at big corporations in Nordic countries has not lived up to the expectations. Inspired by studies emphasizing the crucial role of top management in gaining support for gender-equality measures to make changes happen, we set out to investigate what kind of policies top managers in Norway would prioritize to further gender balance in the executive ranks. We found that active recruitment policies receive the strongest support and quota and preferential-treatment policies the least support. We found clear similarities between men and women in the ranking of measures, although women generally indicated stronger support for most measures. We found no differences related to gender composition of the management group, but some differences across company types (subject to CBQ or not) were revealed. Although corporate-board quotas received the least support, there was no indication that these measures were strongly objected

Mangfoldsrepresentasjon på toppen: Kartlegging av mangfold i de største selskapenes toppledergrupper og blant kommunaldirektører i Oslo, Bergen og Trondheim

Denne rapporten oppsummerer arbeidet med å utarbeide et første Mangfoldsbarometer som skal dokumentere omfanget av personer med innvandringsbakgrunn i toppen av norsk næringsliv. Dataene ble samlet inn i 2022. Studien er en videreutvikling av arbeidet med CORE Topplederbarometer, som kartlegger kjønnsfordelingen på toppen av norsk næringsliv. Målsettingen med Mangfoldsbarometeret har vært å se på mulighetene og utfordringene knyttet til å måle etnisk mangfold, inkludert hva mangfold betyr i denne sammenhengen. Denne rapporten gir derfor først og fremst en drøfting av framgangsmåten og de metodologiske og begrepsmessige utfordringene som en slik måling bringer med seg. Dernest presenteres noen tall fra stikkprøver fra den øverste ledelsen i 50 av de største selskapene etter omsetning i Norge. Videre gjøres det en gjennomgang av kommuneledelsen i de tre største byene her i landet.publishedVersio

Can descriptive representation be justified outside politics?

In the first part of the chapter an institutional perspective on the difference between political and economic decision making is presented, including the tendency of institutional confusion. In the second part I draw on representation theory and present some central arguments within the political science literature in favor of descriptive representation of gender in political organizations. Third, I present the main arguments for descriptive representation of gender in economic decision making, more precisely arguments for corporate board gender quotas as they were put forward in the Norwegian policy debate (by the government, consultative bodies and in the parliamentary debate) prior to the historic adoption corporate board gender quotas by the Norwegian parliament in 2003. I then discuss the arguments in favor of regulation of gender balance in corporate boards in light of the main arguments central in the political science literature for descriptive representation of gender in political structures.Can descriptive representation be justified outside politics?publishedVersio