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

Ligestillingsudvalget 2020-21
LIU Alm.del Bilag 3
Offentligt

Action programme for gender equality

in the Riksdag for the electoral period 2018–2022

Action programme for gender equality in the Riksdag |

Summary

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

have the same genuine opportunities to perform their official duties re-

gardless of gender. By continuously highlighting gender equality issues

and increasing awareness of the gender-equality-based consequences of

how the work of the Riksdag is carried out, the conditions for a gender-

equal Riksdag can constantly be improved. The action programme for

gender equality in the Riksdag is intended to help to reach the goal of a

gender-equal Riksdag.

It is proposed that the focus of the action programme for 2018–2022

should be on how we treat people, which is in line with the result of the

mapping of gender equality in the Riksdag that was carried out during the

former electoral period. Another purpose of the work that was carried out

during this period was to increase knowledge and awareness of the signifi-

cance of gender when it comes to power and influence.

Background

In June 2006

, the Riksdag decided that continuous and systematic work

to promote gender equality should be carried out in the Riksdag and that

the Riksdag Board should have special responsibility for this. The Board

should establish an action programme for gender equality for each elec-

toral period. Work on gender equality should also be followed up and

evaluated

The Riksdag Board established an action programme for gender equal-

ity during the last three electoral periods. The purpose of the action pro-

gramme during the previous electoral period (2014–2018) was to highlight

differences in the conditions available for female and male members of the

Riksdag to perform their duties. An extensive mapping of gender in the

Riksdag was carried out, which included a survey and in-depth interviews

with members of the Riksdag.

2005/06:KU21.

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

| Action programme for gender equality in the Riksdag

In summary, the findings of the studies

showed that Riksdag members

overall felt that they had the same conditions available to perform their

duties regardless of gender. Female and male members also thought that

they had equal opportunities to exercise influence and have political im-

pact. The group consisting of young women (35 years of age and younger)

felt that they were faced with greater challenges in performing their duties

than other groups. The studies also indicated that there are areas where

further action needs to be taken to make the Riksdag gender-equal. This

particularly concerned the way people are treated and the possibility to

combine the working duties of an MP with family obligations.

At their meeting on 30 January 2019, the Riksdag Board appointed a

working group with the task of preparing a proposal for an action pro-

gramme for the electoral period 2018–2022. The working group was to

draw from experiences from previous action programmes and, using the

mapping that was carried out during the previous electoral period, pro-

pose various measures that are needed to ensure that the Riksdag should

be a parliament in which women and men have the same conditions to

enable them to perform their duties. The working group proposes the fol-

lowing action programme for gender equality during the electoral period.

Orientation – a gender-sensitive Riksdag

The overall goal of the action programme is to work for a gender-sensitive

parliament. As far as the Riksdag is concerned, this is described as fol-

lows:

• gender distribution is to be equal in various bodies and contexts.

• gender equality work is to be integrated into activities and various

processes.

• there is to be an internal culture that is characterised by respect and

equal resources for both women and men.

Jämställdhet i riksdagen – en enkätstudie

(“Gender equality in the Riksdag – a survey study”),

Josefina Erikson and Cecilia Josefsson, Department of Political Science, Uppsala University.

Riksdagsledamöters erfarenheter och upplevelser av jämställdheten i riksdagen (“The expe-

riences of Riksdag members of gender equality in the Riksdag – a series of interviews,

Josefina

Erikson, Department of Political Science, Uppsala University.

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

Action programme for gender equality in the Riksdag |

• the balance between official duties and family responsibilities is to be

facilitated.

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

Quantitatively, the Riksdag has a high degree of gender equality. There is

a balanced gender distribution reflecting a percentage of 40/60 per cent,

that is that the share of either of the sexes is at least 40 per cent. However,

investigations that have been carried out show that there are deficiencies

in the qualitative aspects of gender equality in the Riksdag. The action

programme will therefore be focused on cultural issues such as the way

people are treated, addressed and approached.

As previously, the programme concerns conditions in the work of the Riks-

dag rather than aspects of gender equality within various policy areas. The

gender equality efforts of the Riksdag Administration, the party groups and

the party secretariats are not covered by the action programme.

Development areas for the 2018–2022 electoral period

The role of an MP – treatment and experience

The studies that were carried out during the last electoral period showed

that many members of the Riksdag are generally satisfied with their work-

ing climate and the way they are treated in the Riksdag, but that there are

problems with domination techniques and abusive treatment.

The studies also showed that threats and violations, primarily via social

media, have become an increasingly significant factor affecting members

in their assignment as MPs. This applied to both women and men, but the

violations took different forms depending on gender.

The studies showed further that women in general feel that greater de-

mands are placed on them and they are more worried about making mis-

takes. The answers to the interviews implied that the difference between

the sexes may be a result of women placing greater demands on them-

selves, but the members who took part in the studies, both women and

men, felt that the expectations placed on women and men differ.

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

| Action programme for gender equality in the Riksdag

The gender equality group will:

• arrange seminars on communicative strategies to increase sensitivity

and enhance skills in order to promote a positive debating climate in

the Riksdag;

• highlight how social media affect the pre-conditions for female and

male MPs to carry out their duties and provide tips for how social

media can be used more securely with the intention of reducing and

minimising violations on the internet;

• propose ways of increasing general security for MPs;

• follow up the opportunity to perform practice debates in the Chamber

that was offered to the parties after the elections in 2018;

• investigate ways of taking care of people who are subjected to abusive

treatment and sexual harassment in the Riksdag;

• review information that is supplied about which situations can give rise

to MPs contacting the occupational health service to obtain support.

Combining duties of an MP with family obligations

Meeting the challenges of daily life also depend on the working environ-

ment and working conditions. According to surveys that have been car-

ried out, the group consisting of younger MPs, regardless of their gender,

felt that it was difficult to reconcile their work as members of parliament

with family commitments more often than was the case in other groups.

How the work of the Riksdag is organised as regards voting times, how

meetings are scheduled and how services concerning child-minding, etc.

are organised are therefore of interest.

The gender equality group will:

• urgently review the planning of the work of the Riksdag from the

perspective of gender equality, particularly in the case of working hours;

• follow up that the forthcoming inquiry to review matters regarding

the work of the Riksdag carries out impact assessments of its possible

proposals from a gender equality perspective.

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

Action programme for gender equality in the Riksdag |

In-depth knowledge

Measures carried out to promote a gender-equal Riksdag should be knowl-

edge-based. Since the studies that were carried out with the members of

the Riksdag during the former electoral period, a good picture has been

obtained of how the members perceive gender equality in the Riksdag.

In order to make gender patterns in the work of the Chamber and the

committees visible and increase awareness of them, in-depth studies of

who speaks and what is said in the Chamber and in committees would be

a valuable complement to the mapping that was carried out in the previ-

ous electoral period. It would also be valuable to study how women and

men who are MPs are depicted in the media since this has an impact for

people who would be interested in becoming elected representatives in the

Swedish Parliament.

Knowledge should also be obtained by monitoring current developments

and exchanging experience with other parliaments.

The gender equality group will:

• update statistics that highlight the work of the Riksdag from a gender

equality perspective;

• get back to the Riksdag Board with proposals for in-depth research

studies of debates in the Chamber and discussions in committees;

• get back to the Riksdag Board with a proposed research study of how

female and male MPs are depicted in the media;

• arrange activities in the Riksdag to increase MPs’ knowledge of the

significance of gender for power and influence;

• arrange a conference for exchange of experience with parliamentarians

from Nordic parliaments.

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

| Action programme for gender equality in the Riksdag

Working procedures

On 30 January 2019, the Riksdag Board decided to establish a working

group for gender equality. Representatives from all the Riksdag parties

were to be included in the working group. The group would have an equal

gender balance.

The Board appointed the First Deputy Speaker as the Chair of the work-

ing group and the Second Deputy Speaker as the Deputy Chair. The Board

also instructed the Secretary-General of the Riksdag to decide on admin-

istrative support and to establish the budget for the working group.

The working group is to draw up and then carry out the action pro-

gramme established by the Board. The group may also get back to the

Board with proposed decisions on further activities and measures which

it considers are needed to implement the action programme. The working

group will on an ongoing basis, at least once per term, report on its work

to the Board.

Successful work with the action programme also requires broad support

in the party groups. The MPs in the working group form a natural link in

the process of obtaining broad support.

The working group is supported primarily by employees from the Riksdag

Administration, but it may also be necessary to consult external expertise

for support and inspiration.

However, gender equality efforts in the Riksdag are not only conducted

by the working group for gender equality, but should also be integrated

into all activities. The working group may serve as support and a point of

contact for these efforts. For example, a special leadership course that also

includes gender aspects of leadership will be arranged for the chairs of the

parliamentary Riksdag committees and the Committee on EU Affairs.

Following nominations from the party groups, the Speaker decided on the composition of

the group.

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

Action programme for gender equality in the Riksdag |

Furthermore, the period for this action programme will partially coincide

with Sweden’s celebration of the advent of democracy 100 years ago. Here,

there are several natural areas in common with the Democracy Centenary

where we could work together. One of these is the fact that the Democracy

Centenary Secretariat has been entrusted with the task of redesigning the

Women’s Room in the East Wing of the Riksdag.

Communication

The activities of the working group will serve as an example of how a par-

liament can work to achieve the goal of being a gender-equal parliament.

They will therefore be communicated both internally and externally.

The gender equality group will:

• draw up a communication strategy and a communication plan for this.

Follow-up

At the end of the electoral period, the action programme will be followed

up and evaluated by means of:

• discussions in focus groups on the various development areas in the

programme;

• questions on gender equality included in the Riksdag Administration’s

regular service surveys;

• continuous follow-ups of activities carried out by the gender equality

group;

• follow-up of members of the working group of their own ambitions

regarding participation in the activities of the working group.

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 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