Gender equality has long been an integral part of the Nordic social model and has played a significant role in the region’s economic development. Well-developed welfare systems, including childcare and parental leave schemes, have enabled more women to participate in the labour market, which in turn has contributed to increased productivity and growth.
Today, there is growing interest in how gender equality and other social dimensions contribute to economic competitiveness, in addition to being important goals in their own right. For the Nordic region, this presents an opportunity to build on an established strength at a time of increased global competition.
The new publication How can Nordic competitiveness benefit from gender equality?, written by analyst Jimmy Sand, offers new perspectives on how the competitiveness of the Nordic region can be strengthened, focusing on three areas:
- The importance of the digital transformation,
- The green transition of industry and working life and
- Welfare and social care as social infrastructure
Some of the publication’s key messages
- Competitiveness is not just about educating more people but about improving the match between skills and job roles.
When education and career choices are influenced by gender-based norms, the capacity of the labour market to allocate talent based on where it is most needed is reduced.
- AI systems are only as good as the data and assumptions underpinning them.
If algorithms are trained on historical patterns characterised by inequality, they risk undermining, rather than improving, recruitment, resource allocation and innovation. - The competitiveness of the green transition will be determined not only by the scale of investments but also the nature of decision-making.
When strategic priorities are set by groups with limited representation, there is a risk of important perspectives, skills and opportunities being overlooked.
- The distribution of care work affects the labour supply throughout the human life cycle.
The fact that women, to a greater extent than men, adapt their working hours, career choices and labour market participation according to their care responsibilities means that talent and skills are not always deployed where they provide the greatest value. - The supply of skilled labour in the welfare sector is in itself a matter of competitiveness.
Demographic changes are increasing the demand for labour in health and social care, making a broader recruitment base and reduced gender segregation strategically important
This publication is produced by NIKK, Nordic Information on Gender, on the initiative of the Nordic Council of Ministers for Gender Equality and LGBTI. NIKK is based at the Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research at the University of Gothenburg, and forms part of the Secretariat’s Focus area ‘An equal Nordic region’.
