LIU, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 3: Henvendelse fra arbejdsgruppe i den svenske Rigsdag om et virtuelt møde om ligestilling

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Promoting gender equality in the Riksdag 2018–2022

| Promoting gender equality in the Riksdag 2018–2022

The Riksdag is celebrating the 100th anniversary of

women’s suffrage - but just how gender-equal are we?

The Riksdag should be gender-equal. Members of the Riksdag should

have the same actual conditions and opportunities to perform their offi-

cial duties regardless of gender. By highlighting gender equality issues, the

conditions for achieving a gender-equal Riksdag can constantly be im-

proved. This is the point of departure for the Working Group on Gender

Equality in the Riksdag chaired by the two of us, and with one representa-

tive from each party. Our work is based on a decision taken by the Riksd-

ag in 2006, stating that the Riksdag is to work to promote gender equality.

Since then, a number of measures have been taken on the basis of the gen-

der equality action programme established by the Riksdag Board for each

electoral period. It is this work that we are now developing.

A study of gender equality in the Riksdag from the last electoral period

shows that female and male members of the Riksdag feel that they have

equal opportunities when it comes to exercising an influence and having

political impact.

However, the group consisting of young women feel that there are grea-

ter challenges. They feel that they are questioned to a greater extent, and

that they are expected to be better informed than other groups. There are

also problems with domination techniques and abusive treatment. Women

also feel, in general, that greater demands are placed on them and they are

more worried about making mistakes.

Another factor that affects the assignment as an MP to an increasing

extent is threats and violations, primarily via social media. This applies to

both women and men, but the violations take different forms depending on

gender.

A parliament with a work environment that meets the needs of both

women and men should be a matter of course. This is what the voters ex-

pect too. It should be possible for an elected representative to carry out his

or her assignment fully. The Riksdag Board’s action programme for the

current electoral period therefore focuses on how we treat one another. We

also want to increase knowledge and awareness within the Riksdag of how

gender affects both power and influence.

LIU, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 3: Henvendelse fra arbejdsgruppe i den svenske Rigsdag om et virtuelt møde om ligestilling

Promoting gender equality in the Riksdag 2018–2022 |

During the 2018–2022 electoral period, the Riksdag is also commemo-

rating the fact that 100 years have passed since universal and equal suffrage

was introduced in Sweden, and the first women entered the Riksdag as

MPs. The purpose of the celebrations is to generate engagement and under-

standing of the importance and development of democracy in Sweden in a

historical perspective, and for the future.

With this brochure, we want to tell you about previous and ongoing

work with gender equality. Our goal is never to lose momentum - gender

equality is a question of democracy, and measures to promote gender equa-

lity are ever topical.

Åsa Lindestam

(Social Democratic Party)

First Deputy Speaker and

Chair of the Gender

Equality Working Group

Lotta Johnsson Fornarve

(Left Party)

Second Deputy Speaker and

Deputy Chair of the Gender

Equality Working Group

Deputy Chair Lotta

Johnsson Fornarve and

Chair Åsa Lindestam

of the Gender Equality

Working Group.

photo: anders löwdin.

LIU, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 3: Henvendelse fra arbejdsgruppe i den svenske Rigsdag om et virtuelt møde om ligestilling

| Promoting gender equality in the Riksdag 2018–2022

Background

Compared to other parliaments, the Riksdag has a relatively high propor-

tion of women MPs; 47.3 per cent after the 2018 elections. However, the

high level of representation of women MPs is quite a new phenomenon. In

the early 1970s, the proportion of women in the Riksdag was 13 per cent.

The figure then rose steadily to 38 per cent in 1988, but fell in the follow-

ing elections. In the 1994 elections, women obtained 43 per cent of the

seats in the Riksdag, a figure that has remained at around the same level

ever since.

It was not until well into the 20th century that Swedish women were

given the right to vote and the opportunity to be elected as members of the

Riksdag. However, demands for equal suffrage had been a major political is-

sue ever since the late 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century.

The Riksdag took a decision to introduce universal and equal suffrage

for men and women in 1919. The reform was implemented at the initiative

of the coalition government at the time, which consisted of liberals and

social democrats.

Kerstin Hesselgren and

Elisabeth Tamm, two of

the first female MPs.

photo: tt

LIU, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 3: Henvendelse fra arbejdsgruppe i den svenske Rigsdag om et virtuelt møde om ligestilling

Promoting gender equality in the Riksdag 2018–2022 |

After the 1921 elections, five women entered the Riksdag. The propor-

tion of women in the Riksdag increased slowly in the following years. This

was especially the case in the First Chamber, with its eight-year electoral

periods and indirect elections. In the Second Chamber, where MPs were

elected directly by the voters every four years, the increase was somewhat

quicker.

Factors that affected the increase in the number of

women in the Riksdag

Thus, the true breakthrough for women’s participation in Swedish politics

has taken place in the last 35–40 years. Important factors for this devel-

opment are the proportional electoral system combined with a political

culture based on gender equality. This gender equality stems from the fact

that the political elite in Sweden has, from an international perspective,

a more varied, and less privileged, background. Strong and progressive

women’s movements, both organisations with party political affiliations

and independent movements, are also regarded as having had a great im-

pact on this development.

Other significant factors are the early development of the Swedish welfa-

re state and the rise in the number of women in gainful employment. From

the 1930s until the mid-1970s, a number of reforms were implemented

with an important impact on the possibility for men and women to com-

bine family and professional life, including maternity – and later – parental

insurance, child-care reforms and the introduction of individual taxation.

The fact that most political parties in Sweden have aimed to achieve a

better gender balance has been decisive in increasing the representation of

women in the Riksdag. Many political parties have taken special measures

such as quotas to achieve gender-balanced party lists.

The women’s parliamentary work

When the first five women entered the Riksdag, two of them became ordi-

nary members of the Riksdag’s standing committees. The other three were

assigned posts as deputy or alternate members. The committees in which

LIU, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 3: Henvendelse fra arbejdsgruppe i den svenske Rigsdag om et virtuelt møde om ligestilling

| Promoting gender equality in the Riksdag 2018–2022

the women were placed did not have any permanent areas of responsi-

bility, but were established on an ad hoc basis. Later, a different pattern

emerged.

Women members primarily worked in committees that dealt with mat-

ters relating to the family or other social issues – “softer” issues. Few wo-

men worked in committees responsible for taxation, economy, transport,

industry or defence.

For ten years, from 1982 until 1991, three committees stood out as

“women’s committees”: the Committee on Social Insurance, the Committee

on Health and Welfare and the Committee on Cultural Affairs. At times,

between 60 and 70 per cent of the ordinary members in these committees

were women, a much higher proportion than in other committees. In the

late 1990s, this pattern started to change. Today, the women members are

more equally distributed among the parliamentary committees, and the

same applies to the positions of chair and deputy chair in the various com-

mittees.

There is a high level of awareness of gender equality issues in Sweden

today. In the Riksdag, which is now a unicameral parliament, there is

also a unique representation of men and women who are aware of today’s

conditions and are therefore good decision-makers. It is important to take

advantage of this as it strengthens our democracy. But at the same time, we

need to look more closely at how female and male members of the Riksdag

are treated in their political groups, in the Chamber and in public life, for

example, in social media.

Promote gender equality

In order to briefly describe the modern history of gender equality work

in the Riksdag, we will cast our minds back to the year 1995, when the

Speaker at that time, Birgitta Dahl (Social Democratic Party) invited

women MPs, one from each party in the Riksdag, to a meeting. She want-

ed to discuss how they could join forces to maximise the benefits of the

Rikdag’s good gender representation.

LIU, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 3: Henvendelse fra arbejdsgruppe i den svenske Rigsdag om et virtuelt møde om ligestilling

Promoting gender equality in the Riksdag 2018–2022 |

Many fruitful thoughts and ideas arose from this discussion and the

meetings that followed. One of them resulted in the establishment of the

childcare services for the children of members of the Riksdag, and another

in the decision to introduce fixed voting times - all in order to make it

easier to combine political work with family life. Within the framework of

the Speaker’s Women’s Network, activities emerged in the form of meetings

and seminars for all members and employees, both men and women.

The tradition of a cross-party women’s network was continued by subse-

quent (male) Speakers.

Women and men in the Swedish Parliament in session.

photo: anders löwdin.

Following discussions in the network, the Social Democratic party group

in the Riksdag submitted a written communication to the Riksdag Board

in 2003 with a number of proposals on ways to improve gender equality in

the Riksdag. The overall objective of Sweden’s gender equality policy is for

women and men to have the same opportunities, rights and responsibili-

ties in all significant areas of life. The initiative eventually led to a decision

LIU, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 3: Henvendelse fra arbejdsgruppe i den svenske Rigsdag om et virtuelt møde om ligestilling

| Promoting gender equality in the Riksdag 2018–2022

by the Riksdag in 2006 that the Riksdag would work systematically to

promote gender equality, and that the Riksdag Board would establish an

action programme for gender equality for each electoral period.

The purpose of the action programme was to promote gender equality

in parliament, especially qualitatively. Qualitative gender equality means

that female and male MPs should have the same genuine opportunities to

work in the Riksdag. It was also decided that the Riksdag’s gender equality

work would be followed up and evaluated. The Riksdag Board has now

adopted an action programme for each electoral period since 2006.

How gender equal is the Riksdag?

Prior to the Rikdag decision of 2006, interviews were carried out with

randomly selected MPs representing all the parties in the Riksdag. A

summary of the answers indicated that the Riksdag was not yet gender-

equal but was well on its way to becoming so. However, some of the re-

spondents considered that the Riksdag was characterised by the same

gender structures that dominated society as a whole. A few years later,

MPs were once again interviewed on the subject of gender equality. The

responses revealed that certain shortcomings remained, but that on the

whole the picture was brighter than it had been previously. Among the

more critical voices, there were mainly women MPs.

In 2015, within the framework of the action programme for the electo-

ral period 2014-2018, a survey was conducted among the members of the

Riksdag. The survey was followed up with in-depth interviews. The studies

showed that the members of the Riksdag were, on the whole, satisfied with

the working environment and the way they were treated at the Riksdag, but

that there were certain problems with domination techniques and violating

behaviour. Threats and violations, primarily via social media, were having

an increasing impact on the assignment as an MP. This applied to both wo-

men and men, but the violations took different forms depending on gender.

The studies further showed that women and men felt that they have

equal opportunities when it comes to exercising an influence and having

political impact, but that women generally felt that greater demands were

placed on them and were more worried about making mistakes. The

LIU, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 3: Henvendelse fra arbejdsgruppe i den svenske Rigsdag om et virtuelt møde om ligestilling

Promoting gender equality in the Riksdag 2018–2022 |

answers to the interviews conducted with the members indicated that the

differences between women and men may be due to the fact that women

place greater demands on themselves, but the individuals who participated

in the studies, both women and men, also felt that expectations on women

and men differed.

The Gender Equality Working Group. From the left: Mats Berglund (MP), Joar Forssell (L),

Alireza Akhondi (C), Lotta Johnsson Fonarve (V), Louise Meijer (M), Åsa Lindestam (S),

Linda Westerlund Snecker (V), Tomas Kronståhl (S), Ebba Hermansson (SD) och Désirée

Pethrus (KD).

photo: anders löwdin.

Another picture that emerged was that young members of the Riksdag as

a group, and especially women, felt that it was difficult to reconcile the as-

signment as an MP with family life.

LIU, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 3: Henvendelse fra arbejdsgruppe i den svenske Rigsdag om et virtuelt møde om ligestilling

| Promoting gender equality in the Riksdag 2018–2022

Action programme for the electoral period 2018–2022

The overall goal of the 2018–2022 action programme is to work for a gen-

der-sensitive parliament. For the Riksdag, this can be summarised with

the following objectives:

• there shall be an equal gender distribution in various bodies and

contexts;

• gender equality work shall be integrated into activities and various

processes;

• we shall have an internal culture that is characterised by respect and

equal resources for both women and men;

• the balance between official duties and family responsibilities shall be

facilitated;

• both women and men shall take part in gender equality work.

In the light of the findings of the earlier studies, the focus of this period

will be on matters relating to internal culture such as how we treat, ad-

dress and approach those around us.

Closing remarks

The large proportion of women MPs has made the Riksdag into one of the

world’s most gender-equal parliaments. This has generated great attention

internationally and has also fostered hopes for what changes of this kind

may mean for the development of democracy in the future.

LIU, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 3: Henvendelse fra arbejdsgruppe i den svenske Rigsdag om et virtuelt møde om ligestilling LIU, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 3: Henvendelse fra arbejdsgruppe i den svenske Rigsdag om et virtuelt møde om ligestilling

Design and production: The Riksdag Administration, Communications Division. Cover Photo: Melker Dahlstrand.

Printed by: The Riksdag Administration, Department for Parliamentary Documents, Stockholm 2019.

The Swedish Parliament, SE-100 12 Stockholm, Sweden

Phone: +46 (8)786 40 00 • www.riksdagen.se