Gender equality in the labour market

and the business sector

1
pawel flato

I respect people’s life choices. But I fight against prejudices, ideas

and structures that prevent us from developing our abilities and
realising our dreams.
Both in the labour market and in the business sector, women
and men work under different conditions.
Gender is a factor. Inequality has many different faces. It has
to do with power and influence, pay and career opportunities,
educational qualifications, choice of profession, and health.
My vision is a society in which all of us, both women and men,
can work and earn a living on equal terms. In Sweden, women and
men alike must be able to pursue a career and still have time for
their children.”

Nyamko Sabuni,
Minister of Integration and Gender Equality
 1

Gender balance essential

in the labour market

The overall objective of Sweden’s gender rent activities and hold different positions.
equality policy is to ensure that women Almost half of all working women are
and men have the same power to shape employed in the education, health care
society and their own lives. Gender equa- and social care services, which are largely
lity also contributes to economic growth to be found in the public sector. Over 80
by encouraging the development of per cent of all working men are privately
people’s skills and creativity. employed.
In Sweden, both women and men are
extensively employed compared with Clear gender divisions
other countries. An increasing number of Women in general also occupy less senior
men are taking active responsibility for positions than men. Of all managers in
their children. Women are increasingly the private and public sectors, just under
starting their own businesses. However, a third are women. The gender gap is
despite decades of constant effort to pro- most evident in private enterprise, where
mote gender equality, the Swedish labour 77 per cent of managers are men.
market and business sector are still The proportion of women on the boards
marked by gender imbalances. of listed companies is only 18 per cent,
The Government, therefore, has drawn while female representation at senior
up an overall strategy for the promotion management level in private companies is
of gender equality in the employment and just over ten per cent. The relative lack of Many women in
business sectors. The measures set out in women in senior positions is an obstacle public employment
the strategy are designed to eliminate gen- to gender equality on company boards, Almost half of all working women are
der inequalities, to get more people into since there is a link between experience employed in the education, health
the labour market and to reduce exclusion. of senior management and selection for a care and social care services, which
In Sweden, women and men work to seat on the board. The gender distribution are largely to be found in the public
almost the same extent but pursue diffe- in state-owned companies (half-owned sector.

3
Women sick-listed more and fully owned) is more balanced than while many women work part-time
Women account for two thirds of sick- in private enterprise, with 46 per cent of because full-time jobs are hard to come
ness benefits claimed, and are also board seats being occupied by women. by. Consequently, women are part-time
on long-term sick leave to a greater unemployed to a greater extent than
extent than men. Pay gaps and a skewed division of labour men. Involuntary part-time work largely
Gender segregation in the labour market affects women in the public sector. Part-
and the business sector impacts on pay time work is less well paid, which in turn
levels. On average, women’s pay is 16 per affects the size of pensions and benefits
cent lower than men’s, and this has been in the health insurance and unemploy-
the case over the past few years, according ment insurance schemes.
to official labour force surveys. When
allowance is made for factors such as age, Different workplace conditions
qualifications and occupation, the gene- Women dominate among those occupy-
ral pay differential between women and ing insecure positions, which reduces
men is about six per cent. their chances of exercising an influence at
While men largely perform paid work, the workplace. Women are also exposed
women’s work is more evenly divided to work-related violence more than men.
between paid employment and unpaid Studies show that this type of violence
work in the home. Women assume more has increased among both women and
responsibility than men for the care of the men, but the increase is greater for
children in their early years and also for women, especially those working in
the care of elderly and disabled relatives. health care, social care and education.
Nor do women and men claim the Women have a higher rate of absence
same amount of parental leave. Although due to illness than men, and account for
the share claimed by men has increased two thirds of sickness benefits claimed.
in recent years, fathers only take a fifth They are also on long-term sick leave to a
of the leave available to parents. Different greater extent than men. Sickness absence
groups take different amounts of paren- among both women and men has been
tal leave. It is in cases where both parents declining since 2002, but the rate for
have academic qualifications that men women is still almost twice that for men.
claim most leave. Attachment to the Differences in absence rates also affect
labour market is another contributory income in the long term, since absence
factor. Fathers born abroad claim fewer means a smaller pension.
days of parental leave than fathers born
in Sweden. Greatest difference among people
Women work part-time both volun­ born abroad
tarily and involuntarily to a much greater The differences between women and
extent than men. Every third employed men are greatest among people born
woman works part-time, compared with abroad.
On average, women’s pay is 16 per cent
lower than men’s, and this has been the one man in ten. Men’s part-time work is The weak attachment to the labour
case over the past few years. more likely to be a matter of choice, market found among women born

4
abroad is especially pronounced in the and talent. Gender divisions are parti- Gender divide at
case of newly arrived immigrants. Unless cularly evident in vocationally oriented upper secondary level
this trend is broken, the labour market programmes. However, a change for the
Although reducing gender-bound
participation of foreign-born women better has been observed over the past
study choices has been a long-
will steadily decline. five years. standing policy aim, today’s upper
The proportion of men in the health secondary schools are highly
Differences in enterprise care programme has increased from 13 segregated in gender terms.
As in the labour market in general, there to 19 per cent, while the proportion of
are considerable gender differences in women in the construction programme
the business sphere. Just over a quarter of has risen from 3 to 9 per cent.
Sweden’s businesses are run by women,
while three-quarters are run by men. Girls more proficient
Enterprise among women has increased Girls have better average grades than
in recent years, however. Over a ten-year boys both in compulsory school and at
period, the proportion of new women upper secondary level. Men attain basic
entrepreneurs rose from 27 to 34 per cent. eligibility for further studies at univer-
Enterprise, too, is gender-segregated. sity level to a lesser extent than women.
Women are largely active in industries Women complete their studies in higher
such as cleaning, service provision, health education to a greater extent than men,
care and education. Men are more often and in about 90 per cent of the program-
found in the manufacturing, construc- mes leading to professional qualifications
tion, transport and communications the throughput is greater for women
industries. than for men.
Accordingly, women’s level of educa-
Traditional study choices tion is higher than that of men. Despite
Perceptions of what women and men are this, women still earn less than men.
most suited to reinforce values and struc- Women are more often over-qualified for
tures that discriminate and leave people their positions. They are more likely to
at a disadvantage. The gender divisions in train for low-paid jobs, and academically
the labour market and the business sec- trained men are more likely to find high-
tor help conserve stereotyped percep- status jobs than academically trained
tions, and these affect the study and women. Among people running small
career choices people make. businesses, too, women are more highly
Although reducing gender-bound trained.
study choices has been a long-standing The Government considers that an
policy aim, today’s upper secondary overall long-term strategy is needed to
schools are highly segregated in gender remedy the lack of gender equality in the
terms. According to the National Agency labour market and the business sector.
for Education, the educational choices Read more about the contents of the
young people make are more a result of strategy and its implementation in the
traditional expectations than of aptitude following pages.

5
 A strategy for gender equality
in the labour market and the
business sector
In July 2009, the Government adopted a cohesive strategy for gender
equality in the labour market and the business sector. The 60-odd measures
outlined in the strategy are partially funded by SEK 235 million from the
gender equality appropriation. The strategy sets out the Government’s
overall, long-term policy focus, divided into four separate areas:

1 Combat gender divisions in the labour market and the

business sector

2 Promote equal conditions for entrepreneurship

3 Equal participation in working life
4 Equal working conditions

6
Combat gender divisions in the labour market and the business sector 1

fredrik sandberg/scanpix
Anna Ekström heads the Delegation for
Gender Equality in Schools, which has a
government mandate to promote equality
in compulsory and upper secondary
education.

Stereotyped perceptions influence

life choices
To a great extent, the choices we make in life are influenced
by expectations and stereotyped perceptions. But change
takes time. It occurs when a lot of people make slight adjust-
ments, says Anna Ekström, chair of the Delegation for
Gender Equality in Schools.
7
1 Combat gender divisions in the labour market and the business sector

T
his body has been commissioned by boys’ lives, and there is another vociferous
the Government to analyse the minority that feels the gender perspec-
My vision is a gender equality debate state of gender equality in both tive should be 100 per cent in evidence
that embraces a much wider public.” compulsory and upper secondary educa- everywhere. Both attract a lot of media
tion and to recommend improvements. attention. My vision is a gender equality
Two reports are scheduled. The first, debate that embraces a much wider
Girls and Boys at School – How Equal Are public.”
They? (SOU 2009:64) was presented on “In my experience, there is considerable
1 July 2009. interest in gender equality in schools,
The report deals with such matters as while at the same time people are tired of
the differing performances of girls and all the new objectives and demands, not
boys in school, and attitudes to school least because efforts to meet them tend
studies, and also how school resources to take the form of projects. When the
are to be distributed from a gender per- money’s gone, the people who were run-
spective and what effects this will have. ning the project disappear and there is
“What came as a big surprise to me was no lasting effect on the school’s regular
the fact that the differences in grades activities.” There are plenty of goals but
between girls and boys has remained little implementation or follow-up, says
roughly the same as long as we have been Anna Ekström.
measuring them, i.e. since the 1960s,” She feels it is important to respect
says Anna Ekström. “The difference is individual freedom of choice in terms of
that nowadays the fact that ‘boys are education and a career. At the same time,
falling behind’ is seen as a problem, since stereotyped perceptions that influence
girls have begun using their excellent life choices must be countered.
fredrik sandberg/scanpix

grades to gain admission to training “The best thing public bodies can do is
courses that used to be dominated by boys. provide good, sound data on which deci-
As long as girls were primarily interested sions are to be based, to show what the
in nursing courses and the like, this situation is like if you choose a certain
didn’t alarm people.” type of training or occupation.”
Reaction to the report has been gener­ This is something the delegation’s final
ally favourable, which seems to reflect a report will concern itself with. It will
common outlook on gender equality examine the study habits of girls and
issues, says Anna Ekström. boys and their psychosocial health, eva-
“As far as I can see, 90 per cent of the luate and sum up methods for breaking
Swedish population think gender equality down traditional gender roles, and pre-
is a good thing. The problem is that the sent proposals on how a long-term gender
gender equality debate often becomes equality effort in schools might best be
polarised or leads to a stalemate. There’s pursued and intensified.
a vociferous minority that thinks as soon
“It’s important to respect individual free-
dom of choice in terms of education and as gender is mentioned there is a hidden k  www.jamstalldhetiskolan.se
a career,” says Anna Ekström.” agenda that involves destroying girls’ and

8
Combat gender divisions in the labour market and the business sector 1

The Government’s strategy

In order to break down traditional gen- for their choice of occupation, whether
der patterns and reduce genders divisions it is in a female-dominated or male-
in the labour market and the business dominated profession. Traditional study
sector, a gender equality perspective choices conserve gender segregation in
must inform the entire education sys- the labour market. The Government
tem, from preschools to higher educa- therefore considers it important to
tion. Schools must help combat stereoty- enhance gender equality in schools and
ped perceptions concerning gender and in higher education. Training courses
skills. Pupils must make active, conside- and programmes promoting entrepre-
red choices about their upper secondary neurship are another important aspect.
education, since this will have a signifi- Self-employment should be as natural a
cant impact on their subsequent study choice as employment. Since more men
paths. All individuals must have the than women start businesses, it is parti-
opportunity to choose on the basis of cularly important to encourage women’s
their interests and be met with respect entrepreneurship.

What the Government is doing

To combat genders divisions in the labour market and the business sector,
the Government is investing in the following eight measures:

• Establishment of a Delegation for Gender Equality in Schools.

• Establishment of a Delegation for Gender Equality in Higher Education.
• Mandate requiring the National Agency for Education to plan and implement
gender equality initiatives at compulsory and upper secondary school level and in
adult education.
• Proposal to reform upper secondary education with a view to preventing pupils
(mostly boys) from dropping out or leaving school without pass grades.
• Mandate requiring the National Agency for Higher Education to analyse gender
differences in teacher training.
• Establishment of a Technology Delegation to boost interest among girls and women
in mathematics, science, technology, and ICT (information and communication
technology).
• Strategy for entrepreneurship in the education sphere designed to inspire young
people to start businesses of their own after completing their studies.
• Appointment of 880 female business ambassadors tasked with inspiring more
women to become self-employed.

9
2
1 Promote equal conditions for entrepreneurship
claudio bresciani/scanpix

Gunilla Thorstensson is responsible for

the programme Promote Women’s Enter-
prise at the Swedish Agency for Economic
and Regional Growth.

Role models vital in influencing attitudes

“Role models can really help in getting more women to view
entrepreneurship as a possibility, and also in influencing atti-
tudes in general – the idea that a business operator is a man in a
suit or overalls needs to change,” says Gunilla Thorstensson, the
officer responsible for the programme Promote Women’s Enter-
prise at the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth.
10
 x xxxxxx equal conditions for entrepreneurship
Promote 2
1

I
n order to boost new entrepreneurship conscious so that you don’t fall into a
among women and get more busines- traditional mindset. This is why all con-
ses run by women to grow, the sultants working for Almi Företagspart- The insight ‘if she can, I can’ is
Government is investing sek 100 million ner and Coompanion – publicly financed extremely persuasive. That’s why
per year during the period 2007–2010. guidance and counselling actors – are it’s so important to have inspirational
An important part of this initiative is the gender-trained nowadays.” role models to point to.”
agency programme in support of women’s Besides guidance, business develop-
enterprise. It involves offering benefit ment, mentorship and other kinds of
to self-employed women and making assistance that women can get via the
women’s enterprise more viable and programme, the actual process of bring-
visible. ing women’s enterprise more into the
The programme is divided into four public eye is important.
parts and focuses on guidance, business “The insight ‘if she can, I can’ is
development, innovation financing, ex­tremely persuasive,” says Gunilla
mentorship, changes of ownership and Thorstensson. “That’s why it’s so
changes in attitudes towards women’s important to have inspirational role
participation in business. models to point to. Another important
There are a number of reasons why task is to disseminate facts and statistics
women start and run businesses to a lesser so as to make people more aware of
extent than men. One of them is that women’s entrepreneurship and show
young people make traditional study them what it means for sustainable
choices. As a result, women and men are growth.”
to be found in different employment The Government’s ambition is to
sectors. increase the proportion of women start­
“Women work to a great extent in care ing new enterprises from the previous

claudio bresciani/scanpix
and education, sectors that have little level of 35 per cent to 40 per cent by the
tradition of business start-ups,” says year 2010.
Gunilla Thorstensson. “This is a factor, “This is an ambitious goal, but political
since as a rule people start companies in a will and political resources are important,”
sector they are familiar with and know says Gunilla Thorstensson. “Under the
about.” programme, 50 000 women have so far
Also, much depends on people’s atti­ benefited from the services offered or
tudes to and perceptions of service provi- taken part in our activities.”
sion, an area in which many women oper­
ate. Service companies have not been k  www.tillvaxtverket.se
considered as important as manufactur-
ing companies with a large workforce.
“This can influence assessments of busi­
Women work to a great extent in care and
ness ideas and people’s chances of getting
education, sectors that have little tradition
financing,” says Gunilla Thorstensson. of new entrepreneurship, says Gunilla
“We’ve found that it helps to be gender- Thorstensson.

11
2 Promote equal conditions for entrepreneurship

The Government’s strategy

Women’s and men’s potential for entrepreneurship and of starting, running and expanding a business. Enterprise
enterprise must be properly exploited by making it easier and entrepreneurship in health and social care services must
for them to start and run businesses. Enterprise-promoting be encouraged and made easier. Increasing the proportion of
structures need to be developed and adapted to people’s women in managerial positions and on company boards is
capabilities and to new and growing industries. Since fewer also important – in state-owned companies, government
women than men start and run businesses, special measures agencies and private companies alike – as a means of enhan-
are required to promote women’s enterprise. More know- cing growth and promoting development in Sweden.
ledge is required in this field to improve women’s chances

What the Government is doing

To promote more equal conditions in entrepreneurship and enterprise, the Government is investing in 23 measures,
including the following:

• Mandate requiring the Swedish Agency for Economic and • Investigation into why so few companies headed by women
Regional Growth to implement and coordinate a three- receive regional business support.
year programme for the promotion of women’s enterprise. • Mandate requiring the Swedish Agency for Economic and
• Analysis of gender distribution on the boards of listed Regional Growth to undertake a three-year programme
companies and of how listed companies are dealing with designed to strengthen enterprise with a foreign back-
the equality issue at this level. ground where either sex must have at least 40 per cent
• sek 40 million for initiatives aimed at increasing diversity representation.
in health care, including guidance to care service employ- • Mandate requiring Statistics Sweden to build up a data-
ees interested in starting their own activities. base with gender-specific data on entrepreneurs and
• Mandate requiring the Swedish Agency for Economic and enterprises.
Regional Growth to draw up an action programme for • Study on women’s enterprise and innovation conducted by
entrepreneurship and diversity in the health care and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
social care sectors. • Changes to the Health and Medical Services Act on
• Mandate requiring the Swedish Agency for Innovation 1 January 2010 providing for greater freedom of choice for
Systems (Vinnova) to fund research on women’s enter- patients and more scope for care service employees to start
prise. their own business.
• Mandate requiring Almi Företagspartner AB (Almi • Inquiry on the prospects for improving social security
Business Partner) to implement and coordinate a national systems for the self-employed.
programme to boost the number of women on company
boards.

12
Equal participation in working life 3

anders wiklund/scanpix
Göran Ferm, based at the public employ-
ment service’s head office in Stockholm,
is leading projects designed to boost
employment among women born abroad.

Pilot project to boost employment

among women born abroad
Women born abroad are the group that is most detached from
the labour market and that has few contacts with the public
employment service. To tackle this problem, a pilot project is
to be launched to develop ways of reaching these women
more easily and to develop models for local cooperation.
13
3 Equal participation in working life

W
omen born abroad are gainfully NGOs to work together, and how should
employed to a much lesser extent their roles be divided?” says Göran Ferm,
The basic aim is to find ways of adapt­ that women born in Sweden. the project leader at the public employ-
ing the activities of the employment Statistics show the gap to be as large as ment service’s head office in Stockholm.
service in order to reach foreign-born 20 per cent. Of Swedish-born women, “Also, we must develop a platform for our
women who have no contact with it. ” 81 per cent aged 20–64 are employed, further work in this connection so that
while the corresponding figure for the methods can eventually be incorpo-
foreign-born women in the same age rated into the public employment
group is 61 per cent. service’s regular activities.”
The reasons for this exclusion from the The project is both creative and innova­
labour market are many and varied. The tive. The public employment service has
situation is not made any easier by the never before engaged in outreach activi-
fact that women in this group seldom ties or collaborated with NGOs. The
contact employment offices of their own work will be led by local project employ-
accord. Consequently, the public employ- ees and will be undertaken with the help
ment service has been instructed by the of focus groups bringing together various
Government to launch pilot projects in actors and also the target group itself –
the municipalities of Stockholm, Sunds- the women.
vall, Göteborg, Halmstad, Landskrona “The basic idea is that all concerned are
and Malmö. actively involved in the process, not least
The basic aim is to find ways of adapting the women themselves,” says Göran Ferm.
the activities of the employment service “They are the ones who know best what
in order to reach foreign-born women they need, why they never contact the
who have no contact with it. This inclu- employment office and how this can be
des engaging in outreach activities as a changed through closer collaboration.
anders wiklund/scanpix

means of coming into contact with the “The municipalities taking part in the
women. The idea is for the employment project are all in favour of it,” he adds,
service to enlist the aid of other actors in emphasising that the project is largely
this endeavour, including NGOs and about developing effective methods cent-
local housing companies. ring primarily on the work process itself.
Such an approach would meet another The anticipated results include:
important requirement in the pilot • A 10 per cent increase in registered job
project, namely to seek out and develop seekers in the target group
methods for establishing effective local • Professional categorisation of the skills
models for collaboration between differ­ of 60–70 per cent of those registered in
ent actors, with a view to improving the the target group
chances of these women finding employ- • Division of roles among local actors.
ment.
The business sector, NGOs, government
agencies and the employment service are
“The questions we need to answer are: k  www.arbetsformedlingen.se
to develop local models for collaboration, what is the best way for employment offi-
says Göran Ferm. ces, businesses, government agencies and

14
Equal participation in working life 3

The Government’s strategy

Women and men must have the same career opportunities into the parental insurance scheme to encourage women and
and conditions. This promotes gender equality and reduces men to share parental leave more equally. Tax deductions for
exclusion. Steps are to be taken in a number of different household services will give more employed women and men
areas to meet this end. The work-first principle is to be the chance to reduce their workloads. Return to work will be
strengthened – for instance through changes in unemploy- easier for people on sick leave, through their being able to
ment insurance and through special efforts targeting women test a new job while sick-listed and also through the rehab­ili­
born abroad. A gender equality bonus has been introduced tation guarantee.

What the Government is doing

To promote equal participation in working life, the Government is investing in 31 measures, including the following:

• An improved in-work tax credit – tax reductions for those • Mandate requiring the Swedish Social Insurance Agency
in full-time work. to administer funding for projects undertaken by joint
• A gender equality bonus to improve parents’ chances of organisations or individual county councils to reduce
sharing parental duties and participation in working life sickness absence among women.
equally. • Mandate requiring the Swedish Council for Strategic
• Tax relief for household services to facilitate the reconcilia- Human Resources Development to lead and coordinate
tion of professional and family life for both women and men. programmes for women’s career development in the state
• Establishment of a working group charged with analysing sector.
issues relating to men and gender equality, focusing on • Mandate requiring Statistics Sweden to conduct a time-
such areas as working life and the reconciliation of work use study on how women and men divide their time
with active parenthood. be­tween household work, leisure time and jobs etc.
• Mandate requiring the public employment service to • Mandate requiring Statistics Sweden to undertake a ques-
undertake pilot projects aimed at reducing exclusion tionnaire-based study on gender equality in parenthood.
among women born abroad who are particularly detached • Mandate requiring the National Institute of Economic
from the labour market. Research to conduct studies on the functioning of the
• Mandate requiring the Swedish Social Insurance Agency labour market from a gender equality perspective.
and the public employment service to test new ways of • Longer unemployment benefit periods for parents with
helping individuals on long-term sick leave to return to children under 18 years of age.
work more quickly and effectively. • A national strategy for help and support to parents in their
• Introduction of a rehabilitation guarantee to facilitate parental roles.
work return among women in particular. • New rules in the unemployment insurance scheme allowing
• Mandate requiring the Karolinska Institute to examine people who have been temporarily or partially absent to be
gender differences in work return following illness. credited benefit points.
• Mandate requiring the Office of Labour Market Policy
Evaluation to examine gender differences in sickness
absence.
15
4 Equal working conditions
anders wiklund/scanpix

Kenneth Abrahamsson is programme

director at the Swedish Council for
Working Life and Social Research.

Research into women’s health

A broad-based research programme focusing on women’s
health is being financed by the Swedish Council for Working
Life and Social Research, at the Government’s request. In all,
17 research projects will share sek 30 million per year up to
2010 – several of them connected with working life, mental
ill-health and stress.
16
Equal working conditions 4

T
he research programme has a broad an interdisciplinary research group asks
approach and involves different what gender equality in the home means
disciplines, such as medicine, in terms of women’s and men’s health. The A basic assumption is that women’s
public health and welfare, working life team is monitoring just over a thousand worse state of health in comparison
and care sciences. people in Luleå from a public health and to men’s affects their chances of
“When decisions were to be taken on gender perspective. They have been achieving equality in the labour
which projects to grant funds, the quality studied since the 1980s and are now in market.”
of the application was decisive, not the mid-life, many of them with families,
focus of the research,” says Kenneth jobs and children. Questionnaire-based
Abrahamsson, programme director at studies are to be followed up by means of
the Council. “This meant that different interviews with couples who state that
perspectives and disciplines were repre- they have a high degree of equality in
sented – we got a bouquet of different their relationship.
flowers instead of one with only the Another project asks how burn-out
same kind.” among women is reflected in the brain’s
A number of premises are involved, anatomy and whether it is possible to
how­ever, when focusing on women’s prevent risks. Women are particularly
health in research. One basic assumption prone to adverse effects from lengthy
is that women’s worse state of health in periods of stress, not least when the stress
comparison to men’s affects their chances is associated with their situation in
of achieving equality in the labour market. working life.
There is an ongoing discussion in which it Other research projects currently
is argued that women and men are treated under way at the Karolinska Institute

anders wiklund/scanpix
differently in the health care service, and at the universities of Göteborg and
but also that they behave differently Uppsala are focusing on mental ill-health
in seeking care. Many contend that and unemployment among immigrant
women’s health is less researched, since women, the link between lifestyle factors
previous studies have been based to a and stress, mental disorders and neck
great extent on men’s physical situation, pains, neuroscientific explanations of
e.g. pharmaceutical studies in which deep anxiety (angst) in women, and how
medicines were tested only on men. hormones affect mental health.
The projects in the new programme “Besides being published on our web-
include the construction of a database that site, the research findings will be dissemi-
will enable researchers to study whether nated in an anthology and at a conference
women and men are treated differently in 2010,” says Kenneth Abrahamsson.
in primary care. Hitherto, 75 health
centres have been linked in, and treat- k  www.fas.se The programme’s research projects are
ments for illnesses such as type 2 diabetes, targeting such areas as mental ill-health
and unemployment among immigrant
cardio-vascular diseases and depressions
women, the link between lifestyle factors
can all be studied. and stress, and mental disorders and neck
Another project being undertaken by pains.

17
4 Equal working conditions

The Government’s strategy

Women tend to be sick-listed more than which began operating on the same date.
men, and are more unhealthy in their The Equality Ombudsman is charged
own assessment. This is why it is with supervising compliance with the
important to study the link between Discrimination Act, and replaces the
health, work and work attributes. previous ombudsmen against discrimi-
Women are more exposed than men to nation, including the Equality Opportu-
violence or the threat of violence in wor- nities Ombudsman. The Discrimination
king life. Act replaces the Equal Opportunities
Freedom from discrimination, vio- Act and six other civil laws. An all-inclu-
lence and harassment is an important sive law and the merging of the ombuds-
condition of a labour market characteri- men makes it easier to combat what is
sed by gender equality. Protection against termed multiple discrimination, i.e.
discrimination in working life has been when a person is discriminated against
enhanced by such means as the passing on the basis of more than one discrimi-
of a new Discrimination Act, which nation ground.
entered into force on 1 January 2009, and
the establishment of a new agency, the k  www.do.se
Office of the Equality Ombudsman,

What the Government is doing

To promote equal working conditions, the Government is investing in six measures:

• Research programmes on women’s health financed via the Swedish Council for
Working Life and Social Research.
• Stronger protection against gender-based discrimination as the result of a new
anti-discrimination law and a new anti-discrimination agency.
• Inquiry to consider how the requirements concerning active measures in the
discrimination sphere can be made more specific and stringent and be linked to
an effective sanction.
• Mandate requiring the Swedish Work Environment Authority to reduce exposure
to violence at the workplace by means of knowledge enhancement and preventive
action.
• Mandate requiring the National Police Board to promote gender equality and
ethnic and cultural diversity in the police service.
• Broadening of the Work Environment Act to encompass housework.

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Like to know more?
Visit www.regeringen.se/integration and read about what
we are doing. You can find out more about Sweden’s gender
equality policy by clicking through to Areas of responsibility/
Gender equality. You can also subscribe to our electronic
newsletter and our press releases etc. The text in this publica-
tion is based on Government Communication 2008/09:198.

Postal address: Ministry of Integration and Gender Equality

103 33 Stockholm

Visiting address: Fredsgatan 8, Stockholm

Telephone (switchboard): +46-8-405 10 00

Email: registrator@integration.ministry.se

Web: www.regeringen.se/integration

Layout: Fidelity Stockholm AB. Print: Danagårds Grafiska, October 2009

Cover photo: PhotoAlto

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The Swedish Government has drawn up a cohesive long-term strategy
for the promotion of gender equality in the employment and business
sectors. The strategy outlines more than 60 measures designed to
eliminate gender inequalities, to get more people into the labour
market and to reduce exclusion.
Read more about the strategy and about how actors such as the
Delegation for Gender Equality in Schools, the Swedish Agency for
Economic and Regional Growth and the public employment service
are discharging the tasks entrusted to them.

103 33 Stockholm