TalentTuning

There are far more women in the Norwegian government than there are in top positions within the Norwegian world of business. Why is this the case?

It is actually those who recruit people to various positions, within both business and politics, who have the power. This is claimed by Drude Dahlerup, Professor of Political Science at Stockholm University.

“Therefore pressure needs to be applied on the recruiters, if we are to achieve a better gender balance within business. Women are better represented in positions filled by public elections than in those filled by appointment. In recent decades, there has been a focus on female representation in public life, and the parties have been pressured to nominate women.”

“Many believe that it is the voters who decide who will be elected to the political assemblies, but in reality it is actually the parties who decide. They are the ‘gatekeepers’ and have as such been under pressure over the last few decades.”

The Norwegian electoral system also promotes a more equal gender distribution in politics, according to sociologist Mari Teigen at the Institute for Social Research in Oslo.

“Many countries have a selection process in politics which is similar to recruitment processes within the business sector, where single electoral candidates are used. In those cases only one person is nominated by the party in each electoral area, and when only one person can win, there has been a tendency to let a man top the list. In the Nordic countries, however, contrary to countries such as the USA, Great Britain and France, we have another kind of selection process in politics, with several candidates for each electorate. This promotes a better gender balance,” says Mari Teigen.

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Sourse: NIKK