All people - regardless of gender - should have equal opportunities to participate in society, develop freely and realise their potential. This is the core vision of gender equality, which is a prerequisite for sustainable development (UN SDG 5).

We still have a long way to go to achieve an equal society. In the EU, for example, we have only achieved a total of 67.9 out of 100 points in the official Gender Equality Index, which shows how far the EU and its member states are from achieving a gender equal society. Therefore, we have a lot of work to do to close the gender pay gap, which is largely due to the fact that women do the vast majority of unpaid work in the home.

​The Nordic countries have achieved the status of being one of the most equal places in the world, partly due to the high proportion of women in the labour market. However, this status - and the high degree of formal equality in the Nordic region - often gives rise to the misconception that the sexes have equal opportunities. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Research shows that gender in many ways shapes our lives on a personal and political level. In the Nordic region, for example, we have a highly gender-segregated labour market, which means that 46% of women in the Nordic region are employed in the health, education and care sector. Men are generally employed in higher-paid jobs, which creates a massive gender pay gap. In addition, women in the Nordics continue to do the unpaid work in the home, while parental leave is also unevenly distributed between men and women. When it comes to gender-based harassment and violence, the Nordic region is also challenged, and men are overrepresented in crime and suicide statistics.

These challenges are not just a political and legal issue. Gender inequalities are embedded in our everyday lives - in social, cultural and historical gender norms. Several studies document how notions of masculinity and femininity are linked to the biological sexes 'male' and 'female' in inflexible ways that create oppressive mechanisms and limit the free expression of individuals. Also included in the equation of factors that can lead to structural inequality are sexuality, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, religion, ability, language and geography etc. All of these markers, in combination with gender - and with each other - can mean that some people face oppression in more than one sense. This phenomenon is covered by the term intersectionality.

What have we done? 

• • On behalf of the Nordic Council of Ministers, we have conducted a major study of how gender aspects affect national climate policy in the five Nordic countries. We have identified knowledge - and lack thereof - about both the formal and actual representation of women in the development and implementation of climate policy, and analysed how the five countries' climate policies affect gender and gender equality in the Nordic region. In the project, we conducted an extensive literature review on the links between gender and climate in the Nordic region, interviewed Gender Focal Points across Nordic authorities, and gathered gender equality organisations, activists and experts from Sweden, Iceland, Denmark, Finland and Norway in a focus group. We also conducted focus groups with researchers and practitioners in the climate-heavy sectors; energy, transport/mobility, construction and food/agriculture. The literature review and interview activities were supplemented by an online survey of Nordic climate ministries to assess the extent to which gender and equality considerations are integrated into the national climate action plans. The project will result in a report and a policy brief with recommendations to strengthen the basis for gender mainstreaming climate policy in the Nordic countries. The results of the study will be presented and debated at the climate summit, COP26, in Glasgow in November 2021.
• • NORION organised and moderated a panel discussion at the Climate Summit 2021 under the headline "Gender equality in the green transition". The panel discussion brought together three experts from different generations and professional backgrounds for a curious conversation about gender equality, gender representation and gender norms in a society in crisis that calls for sustainable structural change.
• • NORION does consultancy work for the association I Tråd med Verden (ITMV), whose socio-economic textile workshops create increased employment and quality of life among women who have lost their foothold in the labour market. In the 'Sustainable Community' project, Norion helps to qualify, evaluate and build the capacity of ITMV's activities, which include organising weekly workshop salons and sustainability days.