Summary of Making Gender Equality Work forum 2022

BRIEF WEBINAR SUMMARY

Session 1: Opening

Opening remarks were offered by State Secretary of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ms Bjørg Sandkjær, Chief Director of the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection of Ghana, Dr Afisah Zakaria, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Community Development, Gender, Women, and Special Groups of Tanzania Dr Zainab Chaula, and Ms Saud Al Tayeb Hassan, government representative of the Ministry of Labour and Administrative Reform of Sudan.

Session 2: Sharing Norwegian Experiences

Representatives from the private sector (Mesta), trade union (LO), business confederation (NHO) and government offered their insights into Norwegian experiences in creating a more gender equal labour market. Norway has come far, but it has taken a long time and it has not been a harmonious journey and different actors and stakeholders have worked from different angels towards a more equal society. Civil society, private sector, social partners (trade unions and business confederation) and government have all played key roles in driving the agenda forward and establishing structures that are gender equal and inclusive. The private sector increasingly sees the business case for diversity and gender equality and companies also collaborate in finding new methods to strengthen this work.

Session 3: Sharing Experiences from Ghana, Sudan and Tanzania

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Ghana highlighted the importance of data to both know where we are coming from and to know where we are headed. In addition, the importance of the role of the ministries in charge of gender equality issues was highlighted as they have an important coordinating function in getting all relevant stakeholders to work together.

Representatives from the business sector, trade union, academia and government shared tools and methods for working towards gender equality in Ghana, Sudan and Tanzania. There are many similarities across borders, but there are also differences. One major difference between Norway and the other three countries that was highlighted is the vast informal sector in the latter. Trade unions and businesses have found ways to work towards gender equality in these diverse settings. Sometimes it is the private sector that inspires government to act.

Key takeways from the closing session on how to create more gender equality in the world of work:

• We need leadership at all levels and political will.
• One of the major challenges is that women are employed in informal sector, thus lacking social rights.
• While legislation is often in place and important, implementation is often lacking.
• We need an array of different actors and social dialogue: trade unions, businesses & business confederations, government, civil society, and academia. In addition, the inclusion of men and feminists (both men and women) are needed to push the agenda forward.
• Data and statistics are needed to understand the situation and measure progress.
• The digital transformation and access to technology is an important part of the change process.
• The importance of education was highlighted by many participants. Creating a pool of qualified women, especially increasing the share of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), requires dedicated effort in the education sector.
• Women´s rights to decide over their own body, sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, and violence need to be part of the agenda to create an enabling environment for including more women in the labour force/market.
• Social norms are underlying social structures that determine choices and opportunities and they need to be addressed.
• The care economy and creating a balance between work and family obligations are important to consider for women to enter into the labour force and stay there.