What's going on in Sweden?

In this article, Gejla Toromani speaks on the topic of Gender Equality in Sweden.

Gender equality or the equality between genders , a vital topic which is part of the SDGs / Sustainable Development Goals and the United Nations ‘currently supported issues, means women and men gaining equal access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender . It does not only imply equal distribution of women and men in every sphere of our society , but also encourages the process of development and progress advocated by the knowledge of both genders . So , basically , the right to live , work and balance life is offered not only to men , but also to women . The equality between genders has been one of the most discussed issues of the 21st and the last century and it has always been so for the Swedish state . Sweden believes that all the genders should have equal potential to change society and shape their own lives . For what it has done in order to achieve equality despite the gender , it has been often considered a gender equality=role=model. What has been done Firstly, Sweden has established gender equality as a policy area of its own and relevant for all other policy areas , which gently allow its implementation in every sphere. It is mainly focused on equal division of power and influence and economic equality between genders . Secondly , it has encouraged women mainstreaming in politics. As a consequence ,12 of the 22 government ministers are women and nearly half of the current parliament members in our country are also women . This progress left its first footprint when Karin Kock became the first woman in the Swedish government right after the Second World War. Thirdly , Swedish governers have established the Swedish Gender Equality Agency , which supports the integration of a gender perspective in every institutional action or operation . Moreover , Sweden has appointed a Minister for Gender Equality who works on policy implementation and development , anti-discrimination etc . His/Her tasks are human rights , coordination , development and gender mainstreaming . There are also administrative boards , important partners in the new Gender Equality Agency, which are responsible for developing county gender mainstreaming strategies for the period 2018-2020 . To be added , this country encourages equal treatment of women and men in their workplace . For that reason , it has banned gender discrimination at work since 1980 and has created the Swedish Discrimination Act from 2009 . Furthermore, this act has been extended to all grounds for discrimination: an employer’s sex , ethnicity, religion , disability, sexual orientation and age.

In 1974 , Sweden was the first to replace gender-specific maternity leave with parental leave. Apparently, it allowed couples to take six months’ off work per child . For specific reasons, a father could now sign his days over to the mother . Indeed , this was one of the greatest steps in the gender equality worldwide history. Last but not least , the Swedish state, a member nation of the United Nations , has signed the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) , where the one talking about gender equality is goal 5 that aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. And in spite of ranking third in the world on the United Nations’ gender inequality index as one of the least unequal countries in the world related to gender discrimination, there are still some evident flaws throughout the path. Flaws Even though there is a special policy and agency for gender equality , none of the committees maintained by the parliament is specifically dedicated to gender equality. Male still dominate board rooms and the business sector. On the average board of a Swedish stock market company , one in three were women in 2015 and nine out of ten people who appointed the board members were men. The gender inequality keeps being part of employee’s salary . For instance , women ’s average monthly salaries in Sweden are less than 88 per cent of men’s . This has to do with differences in profession , sector , position , work experience , but also with gender . This pay gap of 10.7 per cent could be illustrated in another way , saying that women basically work without being paid after 4pm . Assuming a working day is eight hours and ends at 5 pm , a 10.7 per cent shorter day is the same as if women worked without pay from about 4pm . So basically , this is free work and really deepens the gap between genders. Solutions Since it was once said that everything has a solution , there have to be some ways on how to tackle the problem and improve the gender equality situation in the country. For example , in order to achieve gender-equal board rooms , Swedish politicians suggest quotas for female’s involvement and participation. The current laws and policies could beleveled and improved in order to implement equal division of power and influence , economic equality, gender-equal education , equal distribution of unpaid housework and provision of care , equal health and elmination of violence against women. What’s more , Swedish governers will use eonomic policy to increase economic equality and help increase gender equality . Giving women a seat at the table and listening to them, is also a way that we have chosen to grant them equality . That is just what the Secretary-General of the United Nations , António Guterres, once did by giving women half of the UN’s Resident Coordinators positions in countries all around the world . In summary, Sweden can and will invest more in girls and women , because just like the UN Secretary- General said last year , “There is a cost to everything . But the biggest cost is to do nothing.”