In Sweden men and women enjoy the same rights at school, in the workplace and in the home. Photo: Alexander Ruas/Folio
Gender equality is one of the cornerstones of Swedish society. It means that women and men enjoy the same opportunities, rights and obligations in all areas of life. Everyone has the right to work and support themselves, to balance their career and family life, and to not worry about being subjected to abuse or violence. In the Global Gender Gap Report 2010, Sweden is one of the world leaders in equality. The report, drawn up at the initiative of the World Economic Forum, measures equality in four areas: economics, politics, education and health. It can be read at www.weforum.org.
Gender equality at school
Applying gender teaching in Swedish preschools is increasingly common. The aim is to give children the same opportunities in life, regardless of their gender, through teaching methods that allow each child to grow into a unique individual. Gender equality is an important topic that is addressed continuously throughout elementary school to prepare students for further education.
A greater proportion of women than men complete their upper secondary education. Women comprise roughly 60 percent of all students in under-graduate university studies and almost two-thirds of all degrees are awarded to women. Significantly more women than men participate in adult education. The gender distribution among students in postgraduate studies and doctoral degrees is today equal.
Parental leave
In Sweden, parents are entitled to 480 days of parental leave when a child is born or adopted. Women claim most of the days. In 2008, men claimed about 20 percent of parental leave. The time can be taken in months, weeks, days or even by the hour. For 390 days, the maximum parental allowance is SEK 910 a day. For the remaining 90 days the allowance is SEK 180. Sixty days of leave is allocated specifically to each of the parents, which means these days cannot be transferred to the other. In addition, the father of a newborn baby gets 10 extra days leave in connection with the birth or 20 days if they are twins.
Both mothers and fathers in Sweden are entitled to paid parental leave. Photo: Fleix Odell/LinkImage
Four ombudsmen became one
The Discrimination Ombudsman was established in 2009 to replace the earlier system of categorizing discriminatory issues. At the same time, seven anti-discrimination laws were replaced by a single law: the Discrimination Act. These changes were introduced to give citizens stronger and broader protection against discrimination. New provisions were introduced prohibiting discrimination due to age and transgender identity or expression.
The Discrimination Ombudsman reviews situations concerning gender equality in the workplace, the school system and other areas.
Prior to 2009, there were four separate ombudsmen: the Equal Opportunities Ombudsman, the Ombudsman against Ethnic Discrimination, the Disability Ombudsman and the Ombudsman against Discrimination because of Sexual Orientation.
The current Discrimination Ombudsman oversees compliance with the following laws:
1. The Discrimination Act combats discrimination due to gender, transgender identity or expression, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, disability or age.
2. The Act concerning Equal Treatment of Students in Higher Education aims to promote equal rights in the application processes at higher educational institutions.
3. The Act Prohibiting Discrimination and Other Degrading Treatment of Children and School Students includes preschools, schools for students with intellectual disabilities, and childcare facilities.
4. The Parental Leave Act mainly concerns the prohibition of discrimination against one sex or the other.
Women and men at work
Sweden has come a long way in making sure that women and men are treated equally in the workplace.
The proportion of women in top posts is increasing in Sweden.
Photo: Nicho Södling/Johnér
The Discrimination Act has two main sections dealing with gender equality at work. First, there is the requirement that all employers must actively pursue specific goals to promote equality between men and women. Second, the law prohibits discrimination and obliges employers to investigate and take measures against any harassment. Employers must not treat unfairly any employee or job applicant who is, has been or will be taking parental leave.
Pay differentials between men and women can largely be explained by differences in their profession, sector, position, work experience and age. However there are pay differentials that cannot be explained in this way but may be attributable to gender. These are called unjustified pay differentials. On average, women’s monthly salaries are 94 percent of men’s when differences in choice of profession and sector are taken into account. Pay differentials are most pronounced in the private sector.
Economic and political power
The government’s gender equality policy is twofold: to ensure power and resources are distributed fairly between the sexes, and to create the conditions that give women and men the same power and opportunities.
In professional life, the proportion of women in top posts is increasing. The percentage of women heading Swedish private limited companies (with more than one employee, excluding the managing director) was 25 percent in 2009. This represents an increase of 16 percentage points since 1990. The proportion of women on the boards of listed companies is also increasing, having risen from 6 percent in 2002 to 22 percent in 2009. The figures are higher in the public sector. The majority of managers in municipal, county council and central government are women (52 percent). Almost half (45 percent) of all Swedish members of parliament and 46 percent of government ministers are women.
Gender mainstreaming
Gender mainstreaming, a term coined by the United Nations in 1997, describes the incorporation of the gender equality perspective into the work of government agencies at all levels. The idea is that gender equality is not a separate, isolated issue but a continual process.
For the EU, the Directorate-General for Justice is in charge of issues relating to gender equality and gender mainstreaming. The Directorate for Equality’s mission is to coordinate and promote policy developments to combat discrimination on the grounds of sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation. It also promotes wareness of gender equality and non-discrimination.
Thorough statistics
In Sweden all official statistics are collected, analyzed and presented by gender. Quantitative gender equality means equal distribution (50/50) between men and women in all areas of society. Qualitative gender equality means that the knowledge and experience of both men and women is to be taken into consideration and made use of, to promote progress in all areas of society.
Swedish law prohibits gender discrimination in the workplace.
Photo: Kicki Funbo/Bildarkivet.se
Violence against women
In 2010, about 27,000 cases of male violence against women were recorded. The number of reported cases has risen over the years as more women speak out. Legislation in this sphere changed in the early 1980s, making it impossible for women to withdraw an allegation.
Women who need help can turn to the Swedish Association of Women’s Shelters or Roks, the National Organization for Women’s and Young Women’s Shelters. They can also ask for help from any of the approximately 130 local women's shelters located throughout Sweden.
Other organizations that work with issues regarding violence against women include the National Clearinghouse on Violence against Women, which promotes cooperation between agencies and organizations that are in contact with women exposed to violence, and the National Centre for Knowledge on Men's Violence Against Women (NCK) based at Uppsala University.
Publisher:
Swedish Institute
Published:
August 2011
Copyright:
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