News of Norway, issue 1, 2001
In the Norwegian Parliament, Stortinget, 36,4% of the representatives are women, and 15% of Norwegian mayors are women. However, in the private sector, only 6% of business leaders are women, while the same low rate goes for women on the board of directors in companies on the Oslo Stock Exchange.
Model society
Norwegian Family Minister Karita Bekkemellem Orheim presented perhaps the most radical idea of the day. She wants to regulate the model industry by introducing a minimum weight level for models: 'Many girls today are struggling with their weight. This is a problem we have to deal with.'
Affirmative action
Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg made a personal request to the other government ministers to ensure that no men are given leadership positions in the government if similarly qualified women apply for the posts.
'I want to ask all government ministers to approve all high-level appointments. No men are to be appointed to leadership positions in the government without first making sure that there are not qualified women for the job,' says Prime Minister Stoltenberg. He emphasizes that Norway cannot boast of its progress in the area of gender equality as long as most high-level positions in the government are held by men.