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Knowledge about gender needs decolonising

The legacy from colonialism characterises Norwegian academia. Now, Norwegian researchers want to examine their own disciplines and include non-western perspectives in the academic institutions’ scholarly production.

Domestic violence is a gendered problem

The way in which we understand violence against women has changed, according to researcher Linda Sjåfjell. It used to be perceived as a gender equality problem, whereas today we explain it in more individual terms.

Research on sexual harassment: Norway close behind Sweden

A new working group will document the extent of sexual harassment in Norwegian academia. Now Sweden is encouraging Norway to follow its lead and set aside money for research in this area.

Editorial

Why is gender research under attack in Europe?

In Hungary, the authorities are planning to close down and ban gender studies. This attack on gender research must be seen in connection with right-wing populism’s anti-feminist values, writes Linda Marie Rustad.

Historic debate moved Argentina closer to the legalisation of abortion

On 8 August, a proposal to legalise elective abortion was debated and rejected in Argentina’s highest legislative body. Despite the decision, Argentina has shown itself as a democracy with room for female voices, according to researcher Camila Gianella.

The rocky road to sex change treatment in Norway

In the 1950s, the first successful gender reassignment treatment was carried out. Since then, major developments have taken place within medicine and law, but also when it comes to our perceptions of gender, according to historian Sigrid Sandal.

New publications

ARTICLE: Organized Violence and Institutional Child Delivery: Micro-Level Evidence From Sub-Saharan Africa, 1989–2014

Author(s):

Østby, Gudrun, Henrik Urdal, Andreas Forø Tollefsen, Andreas Kotsadam, Ragnhild Belbo & Christin Ormhaug

Published:

2018

ARTICLE: Triple Disadvantage? A first overview of the integration of refugee women

Author(s):

Liebig, Thomas & Kristian Rose Tronstad

Published:

2018

JOURNAL: Queer Readings/ Reading the Queer

Author(s):

Björklund, Jenny & Ulrika Dahl (eds.)

Published:

2018

ARTICLE: Negotiating privilege and social inequality in an alternative Sweden: Real Humans/Äkta Människor (SVT, 2012–2013)

Author(s):

Yang, Julianne Q M

Published:

2018

ARTICLE: Women’s preference for caesarean section and the actual mode of delivery – Comparing five sites in Norway

Author(s):

Lindstad Løvåsmoen, Elin Marie, Mari Nyland Bjørgo, Mirjam Lukasse, Berit Schei & Lena Henriksen

Published:

2018

More publications »

Major gender gap in health research

Women’s bodies are different from men’s. We need more knowledge to better understand women’s health, says medical doctor and Professor Johanne Sundby. She finds support in a new report on the same topic.

A fit body gives men career advantages

Lisa M. B. Sølvberg has interviewed ten Norwegian upper class men about body, nutrition and physical activity. According to her, leaders’ views on physical exercise may affect whom they choose to employ.

Whiteness and racism in Scandinavian poetry

Xenophobia, double standards and guilt are central themes in the poetry collections that Kristina Leganger Iversen has studied. The fact that the works have received mixed reviews from the critics has been an important prerequisite for the project.

Simone de Beauvoir: From Sartre’s secretary to feminist style icon

When Simone de Beauvoir’s feminist classic The Second Sex was published in Norway in 1970, both sexuality and existentialism were downplayed. “She was made popular,” says Ida Hove Solberg, who has examined the Norwegian translations of de Beauvoir’s work.

Pregnant women are scared away from hospitals in Nicaragua

In Nicaragua, the authorities want more women to give birth in hospital. The aim for better figures overshadow the quality of the health care service to poor women, according to Birgit Kvernflaten.

Women with reduced functional abilities are considered asexual

To participate in the labour market and to have a family are things most people take for granted. Women with functional disabilities are deprived of many opportunities. The explanation may be both functional ability and gender, according to researcher.

School, worries and body-image pressure make more girls mentally ill

More and more young girls seek help for mental problems. “Generally, girls take things more seriously than boys. This applies to school, friends and family,” says researcher Anders Bakken.

Norway prioritises aid to support girls’ education, but forgets the jobs

Can education meet girls’ challenges in developing countries? Not on its own, according to researchers behind a new report. They call for more goal-oriented measures to combat inequality.

Twice as many boys as girls start school late

More boys than girls begin school a year late and more girls than boys begin a year early. But researchers are not certain whether maturity is the explanation.

The contraceptive pill: A story of sexual liberation and dubious research methods

In 1967, Norwegian women were finally allowed to decide for themselves when to get pregnant. The contraceptive pill has had enormous significance for women’s emancipation, but researchers doubt whether it would have been approved today.

Talk of equality is risky business for career in the oil industry

White men dominate leader positions in the Norwegian petroleum industry. If you’re a woman and want to climb the career ladder, you need to keep your mouth shut when there’s talk of gender and equality, according to researchers.

Sexual harassment is about masculine power

The #metoo campaign has shown that sexual harassment in the workplace is a large-scale societal problem. Now, researchers want to change focus from spicy stories to constructive debate on sexuality and power.

Men control Norwegian nature

Women are more or less absent in the management of outfield and nature conservation areas. Gender equality has been neglected within Norwegian nature management, according to researcher.

Norwegian equality measures criticised by experts

Norway met criticism in the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women for its lack of efforts on matters of gender equality. There is now a hope that the critique may contribute to the implementation of important measures.

Podcast

Can good leadership solve academia's gender and diversity problems?

Ever wondered what it takes to achieve a gender balanced and diverse staff? In academia, the most knowledge-intensive sector in society, the answers are hard to find. In this podcast, the experts discuss barriers and offer solutions.

Returned girl soldiers in Congo are stigmatised

Congolese girl soldiers are labelled violent and sexual, also by international media and aid organisations. This hampers the girls’ reintegration, according to researcher Milfrid Tonheim.

Iranian women become political players through Facebook

By mourning women as martyrs in Iran, they become recognised as political players, says Gilda Seddighi. She has studied Facebook pages dedicated to dead or incarcerated Iranians.

We ask the researcher

How do gender perspectives in migration health look like?

We ask Abdi Gele, Research Director at the National Expertise Center for Migration and Minority Health (NAKMI).

Design may alter gender stereotypes

Subconscious attitudes towards women and men affect design. According to researcher Nina Lysbakken, designers need to be aware of their own power to shape ideas about gender.

Sex Purchase Act has altered Swedes’ attitudes towards prostitution

While the number of Swedes supporting the sex purchase ban is rising, more people also feel positive towards a ban on selling sex. Thus, the goal of transferring stigma from seller to buyer is still not achieved.

Eternal witch-hunt for the fat body

“The fat body carries a secret that has to be revealed at all costs; it is a living symptom that something has ‘gone wrong’,” says Camilla Bruun Eriksen. She has studied the representation of fat bodies in popular culture.

Communication is key to understanding female circumcision

Lack of communication hampers the prevention of female genital mutilation, according to anthropologist Rachel Issa Djesa. She has observed encounters between Norwegian authorities, health personnel and Somali women in Norway.

Mum takes more responsibility for the children, even in gender equal couples

The social and moral responsibility for the children lies primarily with the mother, particularly at celebrations and festive seasons, according to Kristine Warhuus Smeby.

Dad becomes leader, mum becomes mum

A new study shows that the gender gap in management increases after couples have their first child.

Public breastfeeding: When the sexy boob becomes baby food

According to Norwegian researchers, the nursing breast has a safe place within the cafe scene, but they warn against increasing puritanism and less rights for the mother.

Women dealers empowered by selling drugs

Female drug dealers are a minority. According to sociologist Heidi Grundetjern, they gain self-confidence by succeeding in a cutthroat business, but they do not challenge the male dominance.

Cool to be queer in the Norwegian music scene

Norwegian musicians make careers from experimenting with queer gender identities. According to musicologist Agnete Eilertsen, pop music shows that the gender norms are changing although there is still a shortage of queer musicians.

Sami victims of violence do not seek help

People with Sami background who experience domestic violence seek help from the authorities less often than other Norwegians. A new report has looked at what may be done.

Justifying gender equality through Islam

Young Norwegian Muslims are more liberal than their parents’ generation when it comes to equality and homosexuality, but both groups find support for their view in Islam, according to Levi Geir Eidhamar’s study.

A warning against desirable facts about women in peace and conflict

Oversimplified perceptions of gender roles in war and conflict reproduce gender stereotypes and existing inequalities, according to researcher Maria Eriksson Baaz.

Until infidelity, disappearance or impotence do us part – the history of divorce in Norway

The history of divorce reveals hidden stories of love, domestic violence and societal ideals for a healthy marriage.

Feeling gender: from housewife to working mum

When Harriet Bjerrum Nielsen interviewed three generations of Norwegian women and men, she discovered how the emotional perception of gender has developed over time.

Surrogacy: The impossible dream of a fair trade baby

While western couples get their longed-for child, Indian surrogate mothers are left with a feeling of having sacrificed more than they have gained. Surrogacy can never become a win-win situation, according to anthropologist Kristin Engh Førde.

Underachieving boys, or clever girls?

Boys and girls perform differently at school, but researchers are uncertain whether this has to do with how they mature.

Gender-equality ideals make Muslim women more religious

When gender equality is portrayed as a uniquely Western value, immigrant Muslim women choose to embrace religion as a result, according to new research.

Gender matters in war reporting

Being a journalist in war zones and armed conflicts is becoming increasingly dangerous. Most of the journalists killed in the field are men, but the concern is about the security of their female colleagues.

The secret behind Norway’s gender quota success

Men still hire men at the highest levels of society. According to researcher Siri Terjesen, gender quotas in the boardroom are the key to counteracting this culture of bias.

Girls beaten by their boyfriend avoid the word ‘violence’

Young women who have experienced violence may be difficult to detect. In online reader’s queries, they try to put what is going on in their relationship into words.

Girls choosing the hard sciences are not alike

Boating with grandad may affect one’s choice of education just as much as gender does, according to researcher Marianne Løken. She is critical to the gender stereotypical recruitment campaigns to the hard sciences.

Piano – the best suited instrument for the female body

Straddling the legs around a cello was considered immoral; sitting by the piano was more becoming for a lady. Thus, women became important for the development of piano composition and play.

Norwegian courts discriminate: Ethnicity and location matter in sentencing of rape cases

A survey of rape convictions in Norway reveals systematic discrimination of men with minority background and of women.

Children have the right to their own gender identity

In Norway, children under the age of sixteen can now change their legal gender. Anniken Sørlie investigates how the legislation affects the way children and youth perceive their own identity.

Assisted fertilisation has become natural

The debate concerning reproductive technology in Norway challenges the limits for what is considered natural pregnancy.

Parenting programmes benefit daddies in prison

Training programmes focusing on fatherhood may make fathers in prison more law-abiding, according to Gunnar Vold Hansen.

Women central to the global fishing industry

Although women play a central role in the fishing industry in many parts of the world, their contribution has not been sufficiently recognised. Now, the gender perspective on fishing is finally asserting itself.

New gender ideals in Egypt

“The gender positions in Egyptian society are changing,” says Monika Lindbekk. According to her, clear-cut antagonism between Islamism and feminism is now being challenged by legal changes.

Empowered by electricity

The introduction of electricity in India and Afghanistan may save lives and reduce the oppression of women. But the picture is far from black and white.

Good mothers don't protest

They demonstrated in order to secure their children’s future in Norway, but the protest was used against them as mothers. “Who is allowed to be politically active and how is a much more gendered issue than we’d like to think,” says Synnøve Bendixsen.

The masculine avant-garde that fostered feminism

Futurism practically cleared the way for feminism, according to Madeleine Gedde Metz.

Women are entering the boxing ring

Cecilia Brækhus is just one of several Norwegian female athletes who has contributed to putting women’s boxing on the map, both in Norway and internationally, according to researcher Anne Tjønndal.

Open the door and let gender in

How can gender perspectives be coaxed into a world of male researchers? The gender group at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) did it by knocking on doors and demanding new ways of thinking.

Norway’s gender expert in Brussels

The world’s largest research programme has its own Advisory Group on Gender. A Norwegian professor is one of 30 experts selected to take part in the group.

“Feminine sound” = poor dance music?

Girls are sent out of the queue because they’re not cool enough. Female DJs don’t get gigs because the music they play is “too feminine”. According to music researcher, discrimination of women is common in the club scene.

Taking back the body with new clitoris

In Sweden, circumcised women are offered a new kind of operation. But it is yet unknown how well it works.

Surrogacy challenges gender equality

According to sociologist Ingvill Stuvøy, the debate on surrogacy has added new meanings to the concept of equality.

Bad relationships increase risk of infection in both mother and child

Pregnant women dissatisfied in their relationship have an increased risk of infectious diseases. This also affects their children.

Boys more exposed to relational bullying

When researchers examined bullying in twenty schools, they were told that the main problem was drama created by the girls. Their findings told a very different story, however.