Response to interpellation 2024/25:119 on the work with the gender equality goals
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
L plans to increase the appropriation to the Gender Equality Authority by 72 million kronor to streamline gender equality policy. L strengthens the support for national helplines for victims of violence and for persons who wish to leave prostitution. L emphasizes that the economic changes are a legacy from the previous government 1. L has implemented changes in the parental leave to increase men's responsibility for home and household work 1. L argues that gender equality policy must include different groups, such as people with disabilities, and that the government is investing in research on women's diseases 2. L claims that the fight against inflation is the most important for gender equality 3. L is also investigating constitutional protection for the right to abortion 2. S considers that the government has not done enough to support single women and low-educated women in female-dominated industries 4. S argues that gender equality is regressing and that the government's budget favors wealthy men 5. S considers that the government has reduced its active management of the agencies' gender equality work, which risks that gender equality stalls or goes backward 4. S argues that the government's budget increases inequality and that support for single mothers is reduced 6. S emphasizes that agencies need management in regulatory letters to be effective, rather than just dialogue 7.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Statsrådet Paulina Brandberg (L)
Mr. Speaker! Sofia Amloh has asked me what I intend to do to counter the development that the Gender Equality Authority's results report shows. I would like to thank her for the question and for the questioner's commitment to gender equality.
The government is taking several steps forward regarding all gender equality policy goals in the upcoming budget. To begin with, the government is increasing the appropriation to the Gender Equality Authority by 72 million kronor for 2025, which is financed by a reallocation of other funds in the gender equality area. The purpose is for the Gender Equality Authority to receive better conditions by having funds go directly to the authority instead of being provided through various assignments. The initiative is permanent and contributes to the streamlining of gender equality policy.
The government also strengthens the support for the national support lines for those affected by violence, which are operated by the National Centre for Women's Peace, with 7 million kronor in the budget bill for 2025. The purpose of the initiative is to increase the response rate on the national support lines.
The government also strengthens the support for those vulnerable to prostitution with 10 million kronor in the budget bill for 2025. It is a priority that adults who wish to leave prostitution or who have been subjected to human trafficking for sexual purposes receive the protection and support they need and that no children are subjected to sexual exploitation and human trafficking.
Furthermore, the government earlier this year decided on an action program to prevent and combat men's violence against women, violence in close relationships and honor-related violence and oppression, as well as prostitution and human trafficking 2024-2026. The action program contains 132 initiatives and measures that are carried out on a broad front at national, regional and local levels.
The government also makes important equality initiatives within the area of women's health. One of these concerns equal care as well as care and research on women's diseases and health. For the area Equal Care, women's health and maternity care, the government allocates a total of 1.6 billion kronor annually for 2024 and 2025.
Another important area where the government is investing further is the work to strengthen and promote sexual and reproductive health and rights. Sweden shall be an open and free country where everyone has an equal right to good sexual and reproductive health and equal rights in this area.
On 24 October, the government decided on two assignments within this area. One is a joint agency assignment with a particular focus on the rights perspective and reaching out in areas where exclusion is great. The other is an assignment to the Public Health Agency and the National Agency for Education to update and, if necessary, supplement age-appropriate support material within the area of sexuality, consent, and relationships. It aims to strengthen all students' access to information on sexual and reproductive rights.
The government has also taken the initiative for a long series of assignments to the authorities in order to promote economic equality. These concern, among other things, remote work after the covid-19 pandemic, promoting women's entrepreneurship and establishment in the labor market, equality in the housing market, and analysis of life incomes.
In conclusion, the work with gender mainstreaming continues, which since the 1990s has been the government's strategy to achieve the gender equality policy goals. On October 2, I met with about fifty heads of agencies to follow up on the more than ten-year work with gender mainstreaming in state agencies. The focus of the meeting was partly to review the results of the work, and partly to have a dialogue regarding the direction forward. The Minister for Justice, the Minister for Education, the Minister for Health and Social Affairs, and the Minister for Defence also participated in the meeting.
Sofia Amloh (S)
Mr. Speaker! I think the account provided by the Minister in his answer is good. I want to particularly emphasize that the work with gender mainstreaming is incredibly important.
I want to highlight the action plan to prevent and combat men's violence against women, violence in close relationships and honor-related violence and oppression, as well as prostitution and human trafficking 2024-2026. It is very good. The previous, S-led government had similar action plans.
I have taken the initiative for this debate on the occasion of the Gender Equality Authority's 2024 results report, which has been given the collective name "Gender equality work loses momentum." Generally, the governance of gender equality policy is decreasing from the government level to the agency level. The reduced governance is expressed in that the specific gender equality mandates to the agencies have become fewer and that fewer agencies have mandates for gender equality integration in the regulatory letters. Furthermore, one sees a marked decrease of the word gender equality in the government's budget bill.
I want to ask the Minister if we will see clearer guidance in the regulatory letters for 2025. It is a task that I assume is currently underway.
Mr. Speaker! I intend to highlight some examples from the report that show what would need to be addressed.
The report shows that women perform more demanding unpaid home and care work, which strongly affects health and working life in a clearly negative direction. Now that working life is also being extended, the risks increase for middle-aged women, who have so clearly increased their labor force participation and their unpaid relative care work over the last decades. What is the government doing so that women perform less unpaid home and care work, and how does the government address this deficiency in that sub-goal?
Another example from the report under the sub-goal Equal Health is that women with low education levels have a declining life expectancy, partly due to the increased rate of stress-related sick leave within female-dominated industries in combination with the fact that working and living conditions have developed in a negative direction. What does the government want to do so that women with low education levels in female-dominated industries shall have improved health and not have to pay with a shortened life? It is a very high price! What measures does the government target towards this deficiency and this problem? I hope that it can emerge in the debate today.
Eva Lindh (S)
Mr. Speaker! Equality is in decline all over the world. The Minister for Equality knows this, having received the women's commission's accounts of how equality is now retreating. Strong organizations are pushing to increase inequality. It is very clear.
In the women's commission, it is also very clear that women are asking us in Sweden and the Nordic countries to continue to lead the way, because if we work hard for equality, there is something for others to strive for and follow.
Our equality work in Sweden is incredibly important for women and girls and actually also for men and boys. But it is not only important for us; it is important for increasing equality in the whole world. Therefore, it is extra sad when it is precisely that which is not happening in Sweden. We see that equality is in decline even here.
There are forces that are pushing back equality. As a school counselor, I have seen it very clearly. I was away for seven years, and when I returned as a school counselor, I saw that equality had regressed. I hoped that it was only local, but I know now, after having met researchers in the field of equality, that unfortunately it is not so. There is very much that is in decline across the whole of Sweden. Precisely for that reason, a strong equality policy is required that can counter these forces and make it better for all women and girls living in our country.
We know that in times of crisis, women and children are hit hardest. In Sweden, it has also been clear that women have been hit hardest by both the inflation and the recession we have had. Single parents are hit hard. Over 40 percent of single parents have had to borrow to afford putting food on the table for their children. Most of the single parents are women. Women who are pensioners are having a very tough time. This has also been seen now when it comes to indebtedness and other matters.
The general picture is clear: Women are having a tough time. They have been hit by the economic crisis. Then more needs to be done.
In the budget that the SD-led government has presented, it is exactly the opposite. Most of the initiatives being made primarily benefit wealthy men in larger cities. They are the ones who receive the largest tax cuts. They are the ones who benefit from the policy being pursued.
What is also incredibly serious is that the resources for the welfare system are completely insufficient. Despite the measures that the Minister for Equality read out here, the deficiencies in the welfare system mean that overall things are getting worse in the areas that the Minister for Equality listed.
Statsrådet Paulina Brandberg (L)
Mr. Speaker! To begin with, I want to say that I naturally share the concern that the members express regarding the report, which says that equality is receding. It is a development that we have seen over a number of years and which depends largely on external factors. This is established in the report, which I have with me here today.
I will read from the foreword in the report, where it says as follows: "The recent years have been characterized by a series of crises in our global environment, all of which affect society and thus equality. Recession, increased inflation, increased economic inequality, and conflicts in the surrounding area affect the conditions for conducting long-term equality work. Since 2021, a trend break has occurred regarding economic equality, and after many years with minor changes in disposable income, the differences between women and men are now increasing."
This is a situation that the government has inherited from the previous government, and without placing the blame anywhere, one can only say that that type of changes must, of course, be handled, regardless of which government is in power.
The government has, just as I mentioned in my opening response, several specific equality measures. I want to start by saying that one of the most important things we can do to reverse the development is to address the factors that affect equality. For that very reason, we in the government have, since we took office, had as our most important strategy in economic policy to combat inflation. We know that it is those who have the least money in their wallets who are hit hardest when money loses value, and therefore it has been one of our biggest priorities.
There are many things being raised in the discussion here, and I want to make a few points regarding what Member Amloh raised.
When it comes to unpaid home and care work, it is an important part of gender equality policy, as it affects stress, career opportunities, and of course, economic equality. Here, the government, which the members are very well aware of, has recently made changes to the parental insurance aimed at ensuring that both parents take a greater responsibility for the children and thus also for the home and household work to a greater extent.
We have also given a mandate to Mynak which involves them analyzing the consequences of the increased remote work, which is a result of the pandemic. This is also something that can affect how one distributes the unpaid home and household work. When one works from home to a greater extent, one can start a dishwasher at the same time as having a Teams meeting.
Stress, which was raised, is also an incredibly important issue. We need to manage the factors that cause people to experience stress in the workplace. Here, the government is working on developing a new work environment strategy.
We must also address the fact that we still have a very gender-segregated labor market. Here, the government has several initiatives, including through our new STEM strategy, which aim to get more girls and women into the technology industry, as a measure to make our labor market less gender-segregated.
Sofia Amloh (S)
Mr. Speaker! Now that we are talking about the situation for gender equality in Sweden, I want to start by saying that we can absolutely try to keep the debate about inflation and the conditions we have had for quite a long time now. Just to make it clear: I completely agree that we should fight inflation - absolutely! I have said that many times.
The government, however, has all the power when it comes to compensating for and alleviating the consequences of inflation and doing everything it can. In that regard, I think there has been a ripple on the margin when it comes to the government's ambitions to support the households and the single women. They have had to borrow for the most basic expenses every month, but still, the government has not done more.
One can actually compensate with policy, ambitions, and direction. Inflation is going down now, but the consequences remain for many within several sectors. It is often women working in trade who live below the poverty line despite working. The consequences thus remain and do not disappear in the same breath as inflation goes down. This is something we need to agree on.
As the Minister pointed out, one of the proposals is to investigate remote work and see how it affects unpaid domestic work and so on. Absolutely, we welcome that, and it will be exciting to see the results. But what I am raising here are the low-skilled women in female-dominated industries. They very rarely work from home; instead, they work in elderly care and childcare.
It is women who perhaps even need to reduce their working hours to cope with the job but also the housework or taking care of a relative who needs care. It is these women I am addressing here, not those who can sit at home and work. This is addressed in the report. It is that target group – a large group of women – that one is addressing.
This is reflected in the sub-objective – the second example I raised – regarding equal health. It concerns the women in the female-dominated sectors who have stress-related illnesses and who are issued sick leave due to that condition. I stand by my question and hope that the Minister will return to it: What investments and measures is the government directing towards this target group to address this?
I want to highlight what the report primarily refers to, namely that the government in recent years has reduced its active management of how authorities and other actors should work with equality. We see a risk that the equality work is deprioritized so that equality stagnates or, in the worst case, moves backward. This can result in nothing other than a failing grade for a Minister for Equality in Sweden 2024.
Eva Lindh (S)
Mr. Speaker! No, Minister for Gender Equality, it is not sufficient to blame previous governments when it comes to the work on gender equality, especially not when one presents a budget that increases inequality in Sweden. The measures being taken in the area of gender equality are not sufficient.
We need to do more. We need an economic policy that gives women the opportunity to live more independently and obtain the freedom that women need and should have. That is not what is being done here. We need a policy that facilitates things for all the single mothers who struggle every day to manage to pay for food and rent. It is not reasonable in a country like Sweden that people should have to borrow money to manage to put food on the table.
What the government is doing now is to reduce the support to precisely that group that has it toughest in Sweden: the women. It is not enough.
Now, both the Prime Minister as well as Åkesson and everyone in the SD-led government base say that things are brightening. No, it is not brightening for everyone. It is not brightening for those who are struggling and who have it toughest. But it is brightening for rich men in larger cities, who receive enormous tax cuts.
Statsrådet Paulina Brandberg (L)
Mr. Speaker! I am of the opinion that we need an equality policy that takes many different groups in society into account. Some can work from home. Others cannot work from home. Some have more money in their wallets. Others have less money in their wallets. Some are disabled. Others are not. We clearly need to have measures that target all these groups.
Regarding the latest question, Statistics Sweden has, among other things, been commissioned to produce statistics that can be used to conduct analyses of economic equality among people with disabilities.
But there are, of course, also issues that affect everyone. Equal health is one such area. Some diseases can be contracted due to how one lives in their working life, but there are also many aspects regarding equal health that can affect anyone. Therefore, I am glad that this government has taken a decisive action regarding just that area.
We are investing, among other things, in research on women's diseases. These are diseases that specifically affect women, but there is simply a research debt because too much data is based on men's bodies. I see that as an important part of the equality policy.
Another important part, for which I feel great concern globally, is the right to abortion. We are a bit spoiled in Sweden by often taking it for granted. But if we look out into our world, we can observe that it is a right that we cannot take for granted. When we see a backlash in our world, we must also act in Sweden, before it is in real danger here as well. Therefore, I am very happy that this government is now investigating a constitutional protection for the right to abortion.
The government's equality work consists of many different parts. We can change legislation. We do that to a large extent, not least when it comes to criminal policy. We can give assignments to agencies. We do that too. We can steer our agencies. There I want, just as in my opening statement, to specifically mention that we are now reviewing the Gender Equality Authority's work and funding so that that work will become more effective.
Furthermore, we provide steering signals in regulatory letters. But there are also other ways to provide steering signals. As I mentioned, I invited about fifty heads of agencies just a few weeks ago to have a discussion on precisely gender equality integration. It became a very good meeting where it became clear what difference gender equality integration makes.
It also became, just as Member Lindh pointed out, clear that equality is an issue that should be pursued not only for the sake of women and girls, but it is something that our entire society benefits from. Among other things, our Minister for Defence spoke about this when he said that we need to ensure that we have a defense force built up by both women and men. We cannot afford not to use the entire population in such an important issue.
Sofia Amloh (S)
Mr. Speaker! There are a number of things in the Minister's answer just now that I need to address.
It is very good that one is trying to invest in research on women's purely gender-related diseases. That has not been done previously, and the research has, just as the Minister said, been based on men.
I have been clear about what the focus of this debate is. The Gender Equality Authority's report shows that when it comes to stress-related illnesses within female-dominated industries, it particularly concerns women with low education. We know that. Now, measures are therefore needed to address that. If measures were to be taken to reduce stress-related illnesses and sick leaves, one would improve and actually move a step further in gender equality. But that is not what we hear from the responsible Minister.
It is very good to have all possible types of dialogues with heads of agencies, Mr. Speaker. I encourage that. But the thing is that they also need guidance in the regulatory letters, and this government has actually removed that. The guidance has been reduced. The Gender Equality Authority says so in its report, which is titled exactly "Equality work loses direction." It is very good to talk. But steer, so that it also has an effect!
Answers are still missing from the Minister regarding concrete measures. I hope that we can get something more. I hope that in the regulatory letters to the authorities that will come now in 2025, we can see the effect of such steering. Can the Minister provide an answer on that?
Statsrådet Paulina Brandberg (L)
Mr. Speaker! I will, of course, not anticipate the regulatory letter process.
I am struck by Member Amloh's approach in the debate. It appears as if gender equality issues exist in a bubble of their own. But just as the Gender Equality Authority points out in its report, gender equality is heavily influenced by our global situation, not least when we have general economic difficulties in our society with high inflation and a recession. What the government has done to win the fight against inflation is therefore the absolute most important thing one can do for gender equality and to level the differences between men and women, and also between other groups in our society who are struggling in different ways.
I previously noted that Member Amloh meant that the conclusion in the report, that equality has turned and retreated, implies that I receive a failing grade as Minister for Equality. Now the debate is almost over, but I become curious whether the Member also gives the Ministers for Equality in the S-led government a failing grade, since it was actually then that the trend break occurred.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.