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“Women’s historical contributions are still ignored”

“Women’s history brings forth knowledge concerning one half of humanity, and makes sure that the discipline does not become gender blind,” says professor of history at University of Oslo, Hilde Sandvik.

Feminist scientists criticise gender bias in the tech industry

Whatever you find when you google depends on the people who have developed the algorithms. American researcher fears enhanced sexism and racism unless the IT sector begins to promote diversity.

Cars are still designed for men

With its research on safety for all, Volvo has a clear gender perspective on industrial innovation. So far they are quite alone in this respect.

“The urban space is sexualised and misogynistic”

“Our unconsciousness is shaped by sexist messages from advertisements. The public urban space in one of the world’s most gender equal countries is not designed for women,” according to social geographer Emma Arnold.

New book

The EU raises the standard of Norwegian gender equality policies

That the EU affects Norwegian gender equality policies has mostly proven to be a good thing. But an individual-oriented policy puts pressure on the social democratic approach, say researchers.

Controversial documentary used to de-legitimize Norwegian gender research

Published:

2019

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Therapy can help men stop domestic violence

It is not given that violent men who get therapy will stop their behaviour. A decisive factor for success is that the therapist and the client have a common understanding of the problem, according to researcher Bente Lømo.

Men are more often than women fooled by placebo

It was not until the 1990s that researchers fully began to include both genders in health research. Sara Magelssen Vambheim has contributed with valuable new insights in her study of gender differences in pain experiences.

One of four LGBT people experience hate speech

A new report shows that twice as many LGBT people are victims of discrimination and exclusion as the rest of the population. The risk increases even more among those with minority characteristics.

Voices of protest in academia:

The university as a democratic institution is at stake

Values like equality, inclusion and diversity are being stifled by the prevailing management ideology in academia, critics note. “We must create an academic culture of compassion,” says British organizational psychologist Kathryn Waddington.

Calls for a revival of the artist Hannah Ryggen

“What was written about Hannah Ryggen in the eighties and nineties does not reflect the quality of her art and her significance during her own time,” according to art historian Marit Paasche.

Still embarrassing to talk about menstruation

“Norwegian women are perhaps not as modern and liberated today as we like to think,” says researcher Camilla Mørk Røstvik. She has examined how women – and some men – describe their experiences with menstruation in the twentieth century.

Queer lives find their way to the museum

How have the limits for what is considered acceptable sexuality been drawn and negotiated through history? This is the question we need to ask in order to understand not only the past, but also our present, according to Tone Hellesund.

Opinion

The gender dimension should be broadly integrated in research

The quality of research designed to solve our time’s social challenges is strengthened when the gender dimension is included, writes John-Arne Røttingen, director of The Research Council of Norway.

Intelligent robots may strengthen gender norms

Machines and technology increasingly fill more and more human functions. According to researchers, society’s gender roles affect the development of robots and artificial intelligence, but technology may also shape ideas about gender.

European gender scholars unite in resistance against right-wing attacks

How are Hungarian, Polish and Swedish gender scholars responding to criticism and campaigns to discredit their work? Not only do they emphasize the intrinsic value of gender studies – they also use humour to counter the anti-gender campaigns.

Podcast

Podcast: A threat to academic freedom is a threat to women’s rights

Academic freedom is threatened by authoritarian right-wing populism in countries in Europe and Latin America. Listen to a podcast discussing why this matters to women's rights.

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.

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.

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Calendar

17 Sep 2019

#MeToo: Moving forward

Reykjavik

A Nordic/international conference on the impact of the #MeToo movement. The conference is part of the Icelandic Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2019 and is organised in collaboration with RIKK, Institute for Gender, Equality and Difference at the University of Iceland.

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18 Sep 2019

Gender Equality in Research and Innovation

Helsinki

18.9.2019 at 9-15
Musiikkitalo, Mannerheimintie 13a, Helsinki

More information »

18 Sep 2019

9th Annual International Symposium on Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling

Brussels

This international symposium provides an invaluable opportunity to discuss the causes of human trafficking and migrant smuggling and to study multi-agency approaches to prevent it.

More information »

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NEW PUBLICATION

The journal

Nr. 3/2019

The topic of the third issue in 2019 is Politics and gender equality. You can read about Norwegian political parties and their policies when it comes to gender balance, how the concept of gender equality works within the context of each party and their integration policies, and how each representative views his or her role as a politician and who they claim to represent.

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