According to international rankings, Sweden is one of the most gender-equal countries in the world. Nevertheless, there are significant differences between men and women in terms of education, work, health and economic power. For example, women have lower incomes than men, save less, and take out more sick leave. Only a quarter of Sweden’s entrepreneurs are women. Factors such as occupation, educational choices, age, and working hours are not enough to explain the differences. Possible causes and suggestions for measures have been raised within SNS’s seminar series Gender Equality in the 2020s.

From 2021-2024, SNS has gathered actors from academia, industry, public administration and other important stakeholders to exchange knowledge and experiences on issues related to gender equality. The aim has been to highlight areas from different perspectives where gender equality is currently lacking or is likely to be lacking in the long term.

Within the series, several research reports have been published, covering everything from parental leave, sexual harassment in the workplace, to threats and violence against female politicians.

The seminar series has been carried out in collaboration with the Swedish Institute for Social Research (SOFI) at Stockholm University, whose research focuses on social policy, welfare, inequality, and labor market. In doing so, the project has had a direct link to current research while also facilitating interactions with Swedish and international researchers and experts on gender equality.

Reference Group

An advisory panel, consisting of decision-makers, experts and individuals in various ways working with gender equality issues, has been linked to the series.

Contact

Research Director: Charlotte Paulie, charlotte.paulie@sns.se, 0739-87 19 11

Project Manager: Susanna Allstrin, susanna.allstrin@sns.se, 0790-98 13 33

Points of departure

SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN IN TERMS OF EDUCATION, WORK AND HEALTH

For the past two decades, girls have performed better than boys in Swedish schools. The proportion of women going on to study at university is higher compared to men in all Nordic countries. In addition, gender differences remain when it comes to the choice of education.

In Sweden, women on average earn about 89 percent of what men earn. These differences are also noticeable when it comes to pensions. Furthermore, there are also considerably fewer women than men with really high incomes.

Full-time work is considerably more common among men compared to women, while women also exhibit higher levels of sick leave. With regard to mental health, women go on sick leave 30 percent more frequently than men, despite exhibiting the same ability to work.

DIGITALIZATION

Digitalization will continue to have an impact on society, not least altering which occupations and skills are demanded in the labor market. Considering the wide gender gap in choice of education and occupation, technological developments may have a major impact on gender equality in the future labor market.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND VENTURE CAPITAL

Today, one in four Swedish business owners is a woman. This is a low proportion from a European perspective, where Sweden ranks well below the EU average. Innovations and startups, regardless of their future size, require an initial investment; however, only a very small portion of Swedish venture capital is currently invested in companies founded by women.

DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES

In recent decades, the population in the Nordic countries has grown, just as in the rest of the world. The Swedish population growth is largely the result of immigration. Between 2000 and 2020, the proportion of individuals born outside of Sweden has risen from 11.3 to 19.7 percent. The countries of origin and the causes for emigrating have varied over time, as has the level of education and age and gender composition of the various immigrant groups.

Sweden’s aging population is another demographic change that, among other things, entails an increased need for health care and elderly care. This puts pressure on health care and care services while also increasing the need for workers in this sector, occupations where women are currently over-represented.

Completed seminars

EQUAL SAVINGS – STRATEGIES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL

Women save and invest to a lesser extent than men and have fewer financial assets. This may be due to differences in income and employment, but also to norms and lower perceived knowledge of and confidence in financial markets. The pattern is established early in life – differences between boys’ and girls’ savings are noted from infancy.

What can be done to create equal conditions for saving? This was discussed with, among others, savings economist Claes Hemberg, finance researcher Cecilia Hermansson, and Moa Langemark from the Financial Supervisory Authority.

Watch the seminar (in Swedish) 2024.09.19

Girls in STEM

Women have made great research advances in science, technology, and mathematics (STEM) over the past decades. Despite this, women are still largely absent from the STEM workforce. Part of the problem is that many girls do not consider themselves good at STEM subjects. Research shows that girls lose interest in technology at a young age, largely due to stereotypes and prejudices about STEM subjects and what a STEM-interested person should be like. How can more girls be attracted to STEM fields?

Watch the seminar 2024.04.24

WHICH MEN BECOME FATHERS AND WHICH FATHERS TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR CHILDCARE?

In an increasingly equal Sweden, both women and men are expected to combine work and parenthood. But many fathers still do not take parental leave, and childlessness among men is increasing. How do the new conditions for fatherhood affect which men become parents and which men take a greater responsibility for childcare? To what extent do traditional gender norms and attitudes prevent men from engaging equally in parenthood? And how can parental insurance continue to promote economic equality?

In a new SNS Analysis, Anne Boschini and Lina Aldén study how the changing view of parenthood has affected which men become fathers and which fathers actively involve themselves in childcare and take parental leave.

Watch the seminar (in Swedish) and read a policy brief of the report 2023.12.06

DOES SEXUAL HARASSMENT AT WORK LEAD TO ECONOMIC INEQUALITY?

Does sexual harassment in the workplace affect the jobs we choose? And does it play any part in income differences between women and men? This is analyzed by Olle Folke and Johanna Rickne in an SNS report where they study the extent to which men and women are subjected to sexual harassment and whether it differs between male- and female-dominated workplaces. They also analyze how sexual harassment can lead to economic inequality if it causes us to choose different types of work.

The researchers find that the risk of being subjected to sexual harassment at work is greater for people whose gender is in the minority at the workplace. This deters women from well-paid jobs in male-dominated workplaces.

Watch the seminar (in Swedish) and read a policy brief about the report 2023.03.13

DO WOMEN PAY A PRICE FOR POWER? THREATS AND VIOLENCE AGAINST SWEDISH POLITICIANS

Harassment and threats are becoming increasingly common in politicians’ everyday lives. Many believe that women are hit particularly hard and that it contributes to them withdrawing from politics. Focusing on Swedish national and local politicians, Sandra Håkansson has analyzed how much and how often politicians are subjected to violence, what kind of violence they are subjected to, and whether it has different consequences for men and women.

The results indicate that measures related to security and support for politicians can play a significant role in political equality, particularly concerning the spreading of offensive comments on social media.

Watch the seminar (in Swedish) and read a policy brief of the report 2022.11.28

EQUALITY AT THE TOP – IS MALE DOMINANCE A BARRIER?

Gender equality has increased, but women are still underrepresented in high positions. Why is that? Are women less willing to lead than men? What is the significance of the context?

Researchers Eva Ranehill and Anna Sandberg find that the wage gap in Sweden is largely explained by the professions and positions that women and men work in, where women are underrepresented in high-paying jobs and high positions. Based on an economic experiment, the report shows that the persistent gender segregation in high positions can partly be due to women being negatively affected by working in environments with a large proportion of men.

Watch the seminar (in Swedish) and read a policy brief of the report 2022.11.10

Who gets to be boss?

Women are not considered to have as much potential as men when decisions are made about promotions. This is shown by research from the USA. What does it look like in Sweden and what can be done to change this?

Watch the seminar 2022.06.03

INCOME DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GENDERS

The difference between women’s and men’s wages has decreased every year since 2007. At the same time, the Commission for Equal Lifetime Incomes shows that it will take 100 years before the income gap between genders disappears. What should be done? Where should the efforts be directed and what is crucial for effective policy to come into place?

Watch the seminar (in Swedish) 2022.05.03

PARENTHOOD, A CAREER OBSTACLE FOR WOMEN?

Many testify that women’s careers are negatively affected by parenthood. However, it is not entirely easy to investigate this scientifically. An SNS report authored by Petter Lundborg shows that when women have children, they work fewer hours and switch to lower-paid jobs close to home, which has major consequences for their lifetime incomes

Watch the seminar (in Swedish) and read a policy brief of the report 2021.10.18

Publications

SNS Research Brief 99. The Modern Father – Changing Preconditions for Fatherhood

SNS Research Brief 94. Sexual Harassment and Gender Inequality in the Labor Market 2023.03.13

SNS Research Brief 92. Power has a Higher Price for Women Threats and Violence Against Swedish Politicians 2022.12.07

SNS Research Brief 90. The impact of gender composition in teams on women’s desire to lead 2022.11.10

SNS Research Brief 78. Children: Do They Hinder Women’s Careers? 2021.10.17