Equal opportunities
Equal opportunities for men and women have been under active discussion in the Nordic countries for decades. There is a broad political support for equal opportunities in the region although the goal has yet to be reached.

Women are paid lower wages for doing the same work as men, in addition to which they have the active responsibility for running the household and carrying out most of the unpaid work in general.

By law, men and women in the Nordic countries have equal opportunities regarding education and training. However, tradition still dominates when it comes to choice of education and career.

Statistics show that types of education are, on the whole, sex-determined. Girls mostly choose to study theory-based subjects while boys study technological and science-related subjects. This fact is evident both in lower and higher education. In job-oriented training, girls focus on services while boys choose production and administration. This results in women providing services such as teaching and nursing while men take care of policy-making, administration and production.

Women employees form a two-third majority in the public sector, while men are in the majority in the private sector. Almost half of the labour force in the Nordic countries consists of women. Part-time work is still more common among women than men, and women are more vulnerable to redundancies, in addition to which they accept lower wages.

Women have become ncreasingly prominent in politics, especially during the last two decades, although parliamentary seats and local government are still mostly dominated by men.

It is still a fact that the more important and powerful the position, whether in national or local government, private firms or the public sector, the more likely it is to be given to a man

Since 1987 a joint Nordic programme has been under way on equal rights for men and women.

The main areas of interest are work-related issues, social, family, educational and housing policies, social engineering and participation in politics.

Men of the younger generation have shown increased interest in being more involved in the upbringing of their children and involvement in the household.

The present young generation and future generations are evidently expected to take these matters further and develop a system in which equality between the sexes on all fronts is practised.

The prerequisite for equal opportunities on the labour market is good child care. Paid maternity leave is established throughout the Nordic countries and paternity leave is a reality as well, although it is shorter in most of the countries. Sweden leads the way, entitling parents to share 18 months' leave during the child's first four years. Day-care centres are provided by the municipalities and although they still fall short of the demand, they enable both parents to work.