Victoria Schiøtz – BPW Norway Women on Boards – Gender equality in Norway Victoria Schiøtz – BPW Norway

Equality 2015 – the Norwegian Government’s gender equality action plan measures ●● working life should provide better opportunities for both fathers and mothers to combine working life and family life ●● parents should divide the parental leave period more equally ●● employees should not be discriminated against because of pregnancy and parental leave periods From 2012, the Fathers quota is 12 weeks! From 2014, 14 weeks

Equality 2015 – the Norwegian Government’s gender equality action plan measures Would you like to come to a Tupperware party at my house on Tuesday? ●● more professions and positions will have better gender balance ●● increase the share of women in top management in the public sector, and facilitate for more women in top management in the private sector ‘Would you like to come to a Tupperware party at my house on Tuesday? Only 17 percent of board members in privately listed companies are women. Few women are chairs of boards, and 95 percent of top-level managers in the country’s biggest companies are men. But

Important historical steps in Norway 1975 – all political parties (but one) have used voluntary quotas to promote gender equality, 1979 – Gender equality act 1988 - Requirement of 40 % of the under-represented gender in all public appointed committees, councils, working groups and delegations – 1993 - 40 % of the under-represented gender in all politically appointed committees at a municipal level 1993 - The fathers quota 2006 - The Norwegian legislation secures gender balance in boards in public limited companies. The requirement of the gender representation law is that both sexes should be represented on company board by 40 %. Only 17 percent of board members in privately listed companies are women. Few women are chairs of boards, and 95 percent of top-level managers in the country’s biggest companies are men. But

Steps Europe should take to promote gender equality? ●● Through legislation - Quotas - Parental leave - Kindergarten ●● Change attitude in the population ●● Female role models

Role models Disse nevnes som mulige neste generalsekretær i FN. Øverste rekke f.v: Liberias president Elle Johnson Sirleaf, tidligere finsk president Tarja Halonen, Nelson Mandelas enke Gracha Machel fra Mosambik, tidligere president i Irland Mary Robinson, statsminister Erna Solberg, EU-kommissær Kristalina Georgieva fra Bulgaria, Tysklands forbundskansler Angela Merkel. Nederste rekke f.v: Chiles president Michelle Bachelet, tidligere statsminister i New Zeland Helen Clark, Sveriges utenriksminister Margot Wallström, Litauens president Dalia Grybauskaite, statsminister i Danmark Helle Thorning-Schmidt og Unescos bulgarske direktør Irina Bokova. Foto: