SIX THINGS ABOUT MALE ANGER IN NORWAY
1 WHAT IS BEHIND MALE FRUSTRATION IN NORWAY?
Political power is dominated by women. They hold the office of the prime minister, the finance minister, the foreign minister and the speaker of parliament.
2 WHAT GENDER ISSUES DO THESE POLITICIANS WORRY ABOUT?
“The challenge in the Scandinavian countries is not to end up with a large group of young men who have no purpose in life, no hope for a job,” says Prime Minister Erna Solberg. “It’s not a female conspiracy.”
3 IS THE CONCERN LEGITIMATE?
It’s a demographic that needs careful political attention to avoid a dangerous backlash, the prime minister said. At the University of Oslo, about 57 per cent of all PhD students last year were women. The risk of men falling behind also makes them more vulnerable to losing their jobs to automation.
4 WHAT ABOUT MEN IN BUSINESS?
Men do wield some power in Norway. They hold most of the executive positions in listed companies, run the central bank and the country’s US$ 1trillion sovereign wealth fund ( the world’s biggest).
5 WHAT WILL THE COUNTRY DO?
Tone Troen, Norway’s new speaker of parliament, says she’s confident the next generation will do better. But “it’s important that boys and girls make non- traditional choices when it comes to education.”
6 ANY SIGNS OF CHANGE?
Before becoming foreign minister, Ine Eriksen Soreide was defence minister. She used to get asked by young girls whether men were even allowed to run the defence ministry. Norway’s defence minister is now a man.