Show & Tell: Change

This week's theme is change. Two different things sprung to mind:

• Climate Change - the change happening and the change we need to make
• Gender equality and the change achieved and the lack of change

I have chosen the second topic this time around. It would have probably been the perfect post for last Saturday, which was International Women's Day, but six days late isn't too bad!

8 VOICES ON GENDER EQUALITY IN SWEDEN
First, some thoughts from Swedish personalities on the best and worst with being a woman in Sweden today*.

Jan Guillou, author:
- The best is that we live in the world's most gender equal country. The worst is that the gender equality has not come very far. (It's all relative.)

Katrine Kielos, temp. Editor-in-Chief, Dagens Arena, columnist
- That we live the world's most gender equal country according to the Global Gender Gap Report 2007. At the same time the worst thing is that Sweden is not gender equal, just least unequal according to the same report.

Pär Ström, integrity and gender equality debater, author of the book "Mansförtryck and kvinnovälde" (Oppression of men and female empire):
- The best with being a woman is that there is great understanding and great interest in society for women's problems and difficulties. The worst is that Sweden to an unusual high degree has typical female and male professions. This has to do with people's free choice, but a consequence is that it is more difficult for the average women to have a career.

Anitra Steen, CEO Systembolaget [state monopoly alcohol stores]:
- The absolute best thing is that there is an infrastructure that makes it possible to have children and at the same time develop your career and yourself. That there are childcare, parental leave allowance and other tools helping one to manage family life in parallel with a career. I don't want to point out the worst things; I think that the most dangerous a woman can do is to see herself as a victim, then I rather see the advantages.

Thomas Bodström, Chair of Parliament Justice Committee:
- The best is that we probably live in the most gender equal country. The worst is that women are being abused and sexually assaulted in Sweden today.

Ebba Witt-Brattström, Professor in Literature, feminist
- That we have a global task to before the world's women show that it is possible to achieve our relatively high degree of gender equality, and at the same time combat the increasing contempt for women within and outside the country. The worst is that we right now have a meaningless debate about feminism directed by the media and with little relevance to women's reality.

Tobias Billström, Minister for Migration
- We live in one of the world's most gender equal countries. But there are still informal barriers, for example that womens labour market is so limited to the public sector.

Dilsa Demirbag-Sten, journalist and author
- The best is that me and my male fellow beings are equal before the law. That I live in a country where the state is obliged to protect me from oppression on the basis of religion, opinion, gender or sexual orientation. The worst is cultural relativism, that women are still oppressed in the name of culture and religion.

A FEMINIST GOVERNMENT VOICE
Second, some thoughts from the Swedish Finance Minister Anders Borg**. I didn't vote for them and I don't agree with most of the stuff they are doing, but Borg is one of the most sensible members of the Cabinet and he's not afraid of calling himself a feminist.

Why do you call yourself a feminist?
- Because I think it is one of our time's greatest restriction on freedom that men and women are limited by gender roles, that say what they should do and shouldn't do. Freedom is about shaping your own life, and the fact that gender roles endure is one of the greatest barriers.

It has been a bit taboo to call oneself a feminist in your party [Moderates/Conservatives], why is that?
- Historically it's been like that, but I think the attitude has changed a lot. Young people want to have the right to shape their own lives and young fathers want to be part of family life. If you want to live a good life you must take responsibility for your children and then you cannot let gender roles hinder that.

The lack of gender equality is one of Sweden's and Europe's biggest problem. When did you have your feminist awakening?
- I have worked with gender equality issues for a long time, but it becomes more concrete when you have children. More practice and less theory.

What can you as Finance Minister do to reduce the gaps between women and men?
- At the moment there is a positive development, women's salaries are increasing and women work more so that their incomes are growing. The one with the power over the money has great influence over the family; if women earn 40% less than men it has consequences. I work for getting women into the labour market, and making it easier for them when they are there.

What development has been most important during the 2000s from a feminist perspective?
- I think that the gender equality work has stood still. The positive exception is that I think I'm seeing that young men are more active as parents. When I took parental leave for the first time people laughed and said "now he's going on vacation". But the next time I saw a change in attitudes.

What is the most important feminist issue for you right now?
- The gender equality bonus. When a couple share the parental leave, and the lowest earner go back to work and the highest earner stay at home, they get 3,000 SEK in tax reductions each month.

What is required from the feminists of the future?
- You have to make yourself aware and discuss these issues with others. You have a personal responsibility.

* Source: Svenska Dagbladet 8 March 2008
* Interview in Dagens nyheter 2 March 2008