Leadership Focus: Prostitution
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w Margot Wallström on Closeness and leadership and politics control for sale European Parliament Foreign prostitutes changes shows little interest the focus of social measures magasin 1.2009 NORDIC GENDER INSTITUTE Focus: Prostitution Human trafficking changes Nordic prostitution policies Focus: Leadership She still rules Berit Ås (80) on master suppression techniques BOSSE PARBRINGIntro EDITOR OF NIKK MAGASIN Focus: Leadership and prostitution 20 Men on the top. “This reinforces the image of the EU as a male dominated project,” says Commissioner Wallström. Already by the age of five, different affair; it is more or less entirely male- she had organised a charity dominated. Totally different sets of logic seem action. At 12, she started a to govern politics and industry. This is also the protest movement in the theme of the NIKK Gender and Power Project, schoolyard. Now she is 80 which will be completed in 2009. and can look back on a full Another project, which NIKK finished in life as a researcher, politi- 2008, was that on prostitution. This issue of cian and activist. NIKK magasin therefore includes articles on Berit Ås from Norway is best known for her pro stitution in the Nordic countries. Resear- theory on the five master suppression techni- chers from all the Nordic countries studied the ques. She developed the theory in order to extent of and legislation on prostitution, as well be able to explain to other women why they as social measures in the field, and women’s are so often rendered invisible and not taken and men’s attitudes towards prostitution. seriously by men in positions of power. Master Prostitution has, for a long time, been a suppression techniques are part of the body watershed in Nordic politics. The 10-year-old language and can only be countered by being Swedish Sex Purchase Law that prohibits the pointed out. buying of sex appeared radical when it was In management issues master suppression accep ted. But now Norway, too, has introdu- techniques are constantly topical – not least ced a similar law. In the other Nordic countri- 28 Sextraders online “Us men? What we think? Is that interesting?” when it comes to women in leading positions. es there is currently debate as to whether they This issue of NIKK magasin highlights the dif- should follow the same path, or whether there ference between the situation within politics are better ways of dealing with the politics of and in business. Currently, politics in the Nor- prostitution. dic countries is reasonably well gender balan- ced. But the world of business is a completely – Bosse Parbring NIKK MAGASIN 1.2009 CHIEF EDITOR PRINTING Zoom Grafisk AS ISSN 1502-1521 Solveig Bergman PRINTED IN 9.000 copies [email protected] PUBLISHED BY TRANSLATIONS NIKK – Nordic Gender Institute EDITOR Heidi Granqvist, Sarah Bannocks PB 1156 Blindern, NO-0317, Oslo, Bosse Parbring and Staffan Martikainen Norway [email protected] Telephone +47 22 85 89 21 SUBSCRIPTION Telefaks: +47 22 85 89 50 DESIGN Aina Griffin Subscription is free. [email protected] | www.nikk.no LAYOUT Bosse Parbring Order at www.nikk.no COVER PHOTO Bosse Parbring 42 Human trafficking Better protection is demanded for victims. 2 NIKK magasin 1.09 Intro ContentsNIKK MAGASIN 1.09 8 Somebody is making you stupid! “Hearing that you’re not stupid has a liberating effect,” says Berit Ås, known for her theory on master suppression techniques. At 80, she continues to attract wide interest. 12 Gender equality only where visible “The lack of women leaders is not a luxury problem,” says Professor Anita Göransson. 16 The road towards 40% “I hope the quota legislation will pave the way for an alternative form of thinking 12 “The share of women within business” says former party leader Valgerd Svarstad Haugland. leaders in Denmark is 20 Margot Wallström on leadership and politics ”As long as politics is male dominated, there will be a need for female networks,” extremely low compared says Margot Wallström, Vice-President of the European Commission. to other EU member 22 European Parliament shows little interest states. Only Malta and “The Gender Equality Committee of the European Parliament runs the risk of being Cyprus do worse abolished,” says Committee Vice Chair Eva-Britt Svensson. than Denmark.” 24 Will they go the same way? In just a few years, the body of legislation on prostitution in the Nordic countries – ANETTE BORCHORST , RESEARCHER has undergone an epoch-making development and become more uniform. 28 Closeness and control for sale The website sexhandel.no (sextrade) is an initiative that enables customers themselves to describe their own thoughts about buying sex. 31 Nordic countries vs. Europe The Nordic countries all want to limit prostitution, while several other European countries regard prostitution as a legitimate occupation. 40 “In the Nordic countries, 34 What do numbers tell us? prostitutes are victims. How much prostitution is there in the Nordic countries? Instead of supporting 36 Mobilising public opinion prostitutes, we have made The population in most of the Nordic countries has, during the last few years, them a problem which taken an increasingly critical attitude towards prostitution. 38 Men on the periphery undermines the order Foreign prostitutes changes the focus of social measures. of our society.” 40 Heated debate – JAANA KAUPPINEN , DIRECTOR A heated debate arose at a prostitution conference arranged by NIKK. 42 Demands for better protection The fight against human trafficking is a very hot theme in the Nordic social debate. 45 Column: How politics re-invent inequality 47 Editorial: Financial crisis – does gender matter? NIKK magasin 1.09 3 ”Gender equality in the labour market, male violence against women, and prostitution.” – THESE ARE ISSUES SWEDEN WILL PURSUE AS CHAIR OF THE EU , Current ACCORDING TO GENDER EQUALITY MINISTER NYAMKO NABUNI . SWEDEN NORWAY Gender-neutral marriage Three of four parties in the Swedish Government now suggest a common, “Best at fatherhood policies” gender-neutral marriage law. The issue of gender-neutral marriage legislation “The Norwegian Government is now best in the world when it comes has been the subject of debate for some time among the government parties. to fatherhood policies.” This is claimed by masculinity researcher One of the four parties, the Christian Jørgen Lorentzen after the Government presented a whole set of Democrats, has taken a stance against such legislation. Even if there will not proposals that focus on men and gender equality. be any common proposition from the government parties and the opposition, For over a year, the Norwegian Government has the importance of broad agreement in worked on a Report to the Parliament on men and the Parliament is emphasized. gender equality. A Men’s Panel was appointed and “There are six parties that basically a survey was started in order to trigger debate on agree on this issue, even if some atti- the role of men in gender equality work. tudes vary somewhat at detail level,” Jørgen Lorentzen, masculinity researcher at says Lars Lindblad from the right-wing the Centre for Gender Research in Oslo, has been party Moderaterna in the Swedish member of the Men’s Panel. He is more or less newspaper Dagens Nyheter. The intention pleased with the Government’s Report presented is that the new, gender-neutral marriage in December 2008, which contains suggested law will come into force on 1 May 2009. In Norway, a gender-neutral marriage measures within the fields of working life, family law came into force on 1 January 2009. life, school and child care, health and violence. In the rest of the Nordic countries However, Jørgen Lorentzen misses measures same-sex couples can enter into civil within the area of health. partnership, but not matrimony. “It’s a shortcoming that the Government doesn’t want a study of its own on men and health, similar to the one that has been conduc- ted on women and health. There are acute pro- blems within that area. Men live for a shorter time than women. Men lead a qualitatively poor life, and this has destructive consequences not only for themselves, but also for women and children. Male health has a dramatic impact on other people in their close environment. There DENMARK is a big gap between the existing problems and Report on violence the level of know ledge, and that is why a study each parent and one that can be shared freely. It by partner would be needed.” all, however, depends on the current Government For the first time in Denmark, the scope On the other hand, Jørgen Lorentzen is hap- winning the next election in 2009, since the of violence in young couples has been pier with the measures suggested to strengthen extension to 14 weeks will not be introduced mapped in an extensive study. The figures men’s relationships with their children. The Gov- before the election. tock show that young women more often than S ernment wants to extend the current paternity “Time wise, Norway will become the best in men experience violence by their partner. leave quota from six to ten weeks in 2009. In the the world, if the paternity leave quota is increased Just under ten per cent of young women long run, the Government plans to lengthen the to 14 weeks,” Jørgen Lorentzen notes. This means i olourbox, and four per cent of young men have, C during the last year, been subjected to quota to 14 weeks. The total parental leave is to 3.5 months reserved for the father, which is more physical or sexual violence by their current be extended to 48 weeks (at 100 per cent wage than in Iceland.