Establishing a Non-Discriminatory Society

The premise of equality and access to equal opportunities for men and women rests in establishing a non-discriminatory society. Norway achieves this by including gender-specific and gender mainstreaming actions in their governing policies.

To understand gender issues and draft effective strategies, policymakers must know comparative gender perspectives and come up with policies that use an intersectional approach of knowing the way gender intersects with age, race, sexuality, and disability. There are several different types of tools and instruments that are employed to achieve gender equality.

One of the leading legislations that tackle this issue is the Equality and Anti-Discrimination Act. This act promotes equality and ensures that men and women of similar caliber have access to equal opportunities,whether it‘s the job title at a given firm, the ease of entry and exit from an industry-specific job, and even equality in terms of merit and qualifications. A crucial enforcement factor of the act is the Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombud – it promotes equality and prevents all forms of discrimination in the workplace. 

Let’s take a look at Norway’s employment regulations

Anti-Discrimination Legislation in Norway 

The Norwegian Gender Equality Act aims to promote equality and prevents discrimination. The act covers a wide range of discriminations that are faced by modern societies – this includes discrimination on the basis of gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, and paid leaves with reference to childbirth or adoption.

The Act aims to tackle discrimination in all aspects of life, whether public or private, but most importantly, it focuses on discrimination faced in the workplace. Employers are encouraged to enforce policies and regulations promoting gender equality; job advertisements should follow strict guidelines that prevent hiring discrimination. 

Gender-Gap Statistics in Norway

According to the Global Gender Gap Index Rating 2020, Norway ranked number 2 in the gender parity chart. The index measures economic participation, educational opportunities and attainment, and political empowerment. While Norway ranks number 2 in the gender gap index, the Nordic countries dominate the field of gender equality – Iceland sits in first place,with Finland and Sweden ranking third and fourth place. However, it must be noted that the gender wage gap still persists in Norway. The average gross income between the sexes indicates that men earn an average salary of NOK 550,300 per year while women earn NOK 382,000.