On boys and men

With the Dutch Father’s day just behind us (last Sunday, in case you forgot), this week we dive (a little deeper into the topic of men and gender. Whenever the topic of gender equality gets brought up, the most common association is of women and their strive for equal opportunities. So much so that it is easy to forget that gender equality is not a one-way street and men and women have different issues that affect them and are worthy of (policy) attention.

That is why it’s refreshing to see that Norway (#2 most equal in the WEF’s Global Gender Gap Report) has recently launched a huge policy report on issues that (disproportionately) affect men.

The policy document (English summary on page 21) has been written by the “Men’s Equality Commission (Mannsutvalget)”, which was formed due to the “recognition that boys and men have not been sufficiently included and safeguarded in the development of Norwegian gender equality policy and in the public discourse.”

The document dives into topics such as family life, education, working life and health. Additionally it provides 35 concrete policy recommendations to improve gender equality.