Archive

The call for a Norwegian ban on the purchase of sex gained momentum when Nigerian women began selling sex on the capital city’s most popular pedestrian boulevard. “The discussion about human trafficking swept everything else out of the way,” says May-Len Skilbrei.

“Norwegian equality policy has failed,” says Hege Skjeie, who has headed up the most comprehensive review of this policy area ever undertaken.

Mum is relieved; dad is sceptical. The child also has feelings about being diagnosed with ADHD and taking medication for it. “We need to listen more to the children,” says a Norwegian researcher.

Awkward silences, the “bad mother look” and open confrontation – these are some of the reactions faced by Norwegian women who do not live with their children after a break-up.

“Although the gender-equal man is the norm, men’s violence against women hasn’t disappeared. But it’s more difficult to spot because the abusers don’t define it as domestic abuse,” says masculinities researcher Lucas Gottzén.

madeleine kennedy-macfoy has lived her life moving between England, Belgium, Sierra Leone, the US and Norway. For her, being international is not a choice – it is life itself. It is also a life she would recommend to others.

Gender equality in the family reduces the risk of violence by two-thirds. This is according to a new European study.

Physics has a reputation as being only for the stereotypical nerds. According to science education researcher Maria Vetleseter Bøe, that is unfortunate both for the field and for everyone who misses out on the chance to find out how much fun physics is.

According to Norwegian terrorist Anders Behring Breivik’s manifesto, the second wave of feminism that began in the 1970s has been a “protest against nothing” because there is no longer any real oppression of women. Senior Researcher Cathrine Holst refutes his claim.

In DR Congo, 30 to 40 percent of the child soldiers are girls. They experience more sexual abuse and stigmatization and they receive less help than the boy soldiers. In spite of this, the girls get far less attention from the international community.

The Norwegian gender quota law requiring that the boards of public limited companies consist of at least 40 percent women caused both excitement and indignation. Now it is being copied in many European countries.

“It’s about time that we explore what includes women in the ICT field and stop focusing on what excludes them,” says Knut Holtan Sørensen, who recently published a book on the topic.

Women and men, boys and girls may have different needs and personal resources in a crisis situation. But how easy is it for humanitarian aid workers to remember this when they are surrounded by people in crisis?

“Dirty old men” or asexual seniors? Research on sexuality and old age paves the way for a new view of masculinity.

Many Norwegian women postpone pregnancy until they have completed their education and are well established on their career path. This may make them more vulnerable to postpartum depression.

Many Norwegian women postpone pregnancy until they have completed their education and are well established on their career path. This may make them more vulnerable to postpartum depression.

Can a woman be a genuine martyr? Is it a compliment to say to a woman that she is “equal to a thousand men”? Feminist activists in Iran are waging an ideological war on Facebook.

Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian terrorist, called the gun he used to carry out the killings "Mjolner", named after the norse god Thor's hammer. He also claims to be an "Odinist". According to theology professor Jone Salomonsen, neopaganism is usually associated with New Age spirituality and the left wing, but right-wing extremists also draw on pre-Christian religion to build alternative power.

Women in Southern Europe wish they could live under a Nordic-style welfare state so they could improve their lives as women. But the financial crisis has made their dreams less realistic than ever. This is according to John Eriksen, a researcher at the Norwegian Social Research Institute and the co-editor of a new book on women’s lives in Europe.

Violence is neither a women’s problem nor a men’s problem. According to Professor Tove Ingebjørg Fjell at the University of Bergen, it is a human problem. She conducts research on men who are physically abused by their intimate partners.

According to researchers, gender differences in education and employment is one reason why it is so difficult to achieve the Norwegian Government’s target of 40 percent female business owners by 2013.

According to the science hierarchy, sociology has low status whereas mathematics has high status. Both this hierarchy and the peer-review process have characteristics that structurally downgrade women’s position in academia.

Minorities must be “sufficiently Norwegian” and “understand the Norwegian mindset” if they want to run for local political office. Not least, they need to show that they support gender equality. Are minority women judged differently than minority men? Yes, according to sociologist Beret Bråten.

In the 1800s, Norwegian missionaries had to strike a balance between Christian virtues and the new, modern man’s role. The solution was to be meek before God and mighty before men.

“Women are peace-loving.” “Women are problem-solvers.” “Women are more empathetic than men.” Arguments such as these are often used to advocate for women’s participation in military operations. This is a risky road to go down, according to researcher Kathleen Jennings.

Pupils in a lower secondary school in Norway are doing group work. In one classroom, a group of 14-year-olds sit quietly and concentrate, working earnestly on the assignment. In another classroom, the pupils play and fool around with lots of physical activity and very little focused effort. So you think it’s easy to figure out which group consists of boys? Not when it’s music class.

If we believe criminologist Thomas Ugelvik, Norwegian prisons are filled with freedom. Through relentless entrepreneurship the inmates are able to fool the system and reclaim their manhood.

The Norwegian ban on the purchase of sex was intended to reduce human trafficking and to convince people that prostitution is wrong. But has it worked? Both yes and no - according to researcher Andreas Kotsadam.

The disciplining and control of women and the feminine are intimately related to notions of cultural and racial purity. As a result, racist ideologies are almost always also misogynist and anti-feminist, says British philosopher Jane Clare Jones. She has analysed anti-feminism in the manifesto of Norwegian terrorist Anders Behring Breivik.

Internally displaced women in Colombia are organizing themselves to secure their rights to housing, education and health care. But along with this come threats, violence and dissatisfied husbands. Is it worth it?