• Sweden edition
Society

Men think about sex, women nag: jobs agency

Published: 31 Mar 12 09:39 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/40008/20120331/

The Swedish Public Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen) has been accused of sexism after literature used in its business start up course claimed that the female brain had a "nag, complain and feel sorry for myself" centre, according to a Sveriges Radio report.

Students attending the four week courses are taught that women walk with a "teetering gait" and deploy a "pleading gaze" and that the male brain thinks almost exclusively about sex. Other purported typical male traits include "to itch oneself in the arse".

Following the Sveriges Radio report, the Employment Service has called on its sub-contractor Personalstrategerna to account for the lessons dedicated to "typical male and female behaviour".

Klas Finck, who runs the courses on behalf of the jobs agency, has however defended the content, arguing that it is designed to tackle prejudices and "lighten things up a bit".

"If you highlight the prejudices about how we act and don’t act then we can also influence them," he said to Sveriges Radio.

However not all of his students attending the course have taken the content so lightly.

"I was shocked because it felt so crazy to be thrown back to the Stone Age on a course to which the Employment Service has sent you," said Mia, one of the 300 students who have completed the course, to Sveriges Radio.

Despite Finck’s protestations that the examples are intended to illustrate and problematise behaviour and habits unbecoming of a business leader, Britt Karlsson at the Employment Service is critical.

"I don’t think this is appropriate at all. It is completely unacceptable, both the literature and also the comments. Regardless of the purpose. We will be following this up at the earliest opportunity," Karlsson told Sveriges Radio.

The Local/pvs (news@thelocal.se)

What do you think? Leave your comment below.

Your comments about this article:

The comments below have not been moderated in advance and are not produced by The Local unless clearly stated. Readers are responsible for the content of their own comments. Comments that breach our terms and conditions will be removed.

08:28 March 31, 2012 by stabbull
the male brain is largely occupied by sex. that's a fact i can attest to. we like to pride ourselves as being professional and just focusing on our job, but to be honest, most times sex is on our minds.
08:38 March 31, 2012 by calebian22
Admitting fault or negatives about Swedish culture almost never goes over well with Swedes. However in a surprising turn of events, AF finally got something right. On a good day, AF can't find it's own butt.
11:16 March 31, 2012 by skogsbo
the irony or truth of it is that I suspect it is only the women complaining about it, the men will say, "yeah, I do, so what?!".

I bet these lesson are startling dull, so injecting some humour that takes the mickey(although I can't say that either now) out of both sexes, will help lighten things up.
11:31 March 31, 2012 by Abe L
You can't put away facts as sexism. It just means one sex isn't happy with their natural behavior and clearly doesn't want to be confronted with it. If you don't like the prejudice, then change!
12:41 March 31, 2012 by voiceofreason
What happened to decency, I am sure there are other examples of male-female differences than such low-tastes ones used
13:35 March 31, 2012 by Svensksmith
Sometimes I think about food.
13:37 March 31, 2012 by SimonDMontfort
....I wonder if this perpetuation of 'stereotypical' men and women follows a certain logic: that many Swedes conform to 'stereotypes' anyway...?
13:37 March 31, 2012 by Dr. Dillner
But it is so true; I bet it was a woman who complained!! :)
13:59 March 31, 2012 by Opinionfool
Well it is the 30th anniversary of "Men are from Mars; Women are from Venus." Such thoughts are difficult to remove from the public pysche.
14:40 March 31, 2012 by GLO
I agree, I do think about food several times a day, not just sex.
17:13 March 31, 2012 by Spuds MacKenzie
As a man I admit that we DO mostly think only about sex tho! Knowing that my morning bus is filled with hot chicks; as are my classes at Uni is the lone reason I bother to get up in the morning! :)
19:58 March 31, 2012 by davidcameron
Is there REALLY nothing else that's news worthy?

Come on Local.se!
20:17 March 31, 2012 by dizzymoe33
Hate to break it to all the guys out there but women think about sex all the time like men do!! It is a myth that women don't think about sex all the time, but we do! The difference is we are better at hiding it then you guys are!! :o)
22:26 March 31, 2012 by Svensksmith
Wanna go out and think sometime?
10:21 April 1, 2012 by christo
to be honest am a guy but i do think of sex.. and wen i take long without having it i realy fel bad. but it is sooooo good. oooh:))) "@ dizzymoe ..am at ure side:)))
12:15 April 1, 2012 by johan rebel
How the heck am I supposed "to itch myself" ?!?
13:36 April 1, 2012 by zooeden
Oh How I love this!!!! Damn true, heavy as led...

now back to anus scratching, aghhhhh!!!!
15:04 April 1, 2012 by fikatid
When women criticize men, no one will say anything. When women were barely mentioned in a perceived negative way, they went bananas. That's what you call equality.
10:37 April 2, 2012 by EP
Can't we the tax payer have some input to this. I actually think that AF in this case is correct. I think about sex all the time and so what. And yes, women do nag ... so what ... say it like it is ...
18:00 April 2, 2012 by Jeff10
The problem with most stereotypes is that they're true. So, for once, some busy-body gov't. agency hires a firm with the cajones to tell the truth and guess what? Women complain and nag about the truth.

As for busy-bodies in gov't. and everywhere, it's best to recall what C.S. Lewis (author of "Chronicles of Narnia") wrote about such people:

"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience."
23:31 April 2, 2012 by J Jack
'Britt Karlsson at the Employment Service is critical' - no she's not, she's nagging... "I was shocked because it felt so crazy to be thrown back to the Stone Age on a course to which the Employment Service has sent you," said Mia, ... Mia, stop your nagging ... the only thing I read here is Guys admitting they think about sex all the time and women moaning about what's appropriate.
ADD YOUR COMMENT   (YOU MUST LOG IN OR REGISTER TO MAKE A COMMENT)
Today's headlines
Swedish addicts could get glass 'free zone'

Swedish addicts could get glass 'free zone'

Politicians in the small Swedish town of Falköping want to give alcoholics and drug users a glass-encased zone in the middle of a central square, saying it would lessen public disturbances and allow "the down and out" to socialize. READ () »

EU probes SAS airline over state aid

EU probes SAS airline over state aid

The European Commission opened an in-depth probe on Wednesday to see if state aid given to Scandinavian Airlines by Sweden and Denmark conformed to EU rules. READ () »

Fashion Fix
Jeepers creepers, your shoes hurt my peepers

Jeepers creepers, your shoes hurt my peepers

In The Local's new Fashion Fix column on Swedish trends, Englishwoman Victoria Hussey gets up close and personal with shoes - namely "brothel creepers" from WWII that have been making a steady return to Stockholm pavements. READ () »

Frozen raspberries could spread vomiting bug

Frozen raspberries could spread vomiting bug

Imported frozen raspberries should be boiled before eaten according to new advice from Sweden's National Food Agency, which warns that the berries may carry the novo virus that is more known for causing winter vomiting disease. READ () »

Body of lonely Swedish patient forgotten for days

Body of lonely Swedish patient forgotten for days

A deceased patient who had no relatives was left in a room for five days at the Örebro University Hospital before staff realized the body was still there. READ () »

Scab row as students disrupt bus strike

Scab row as students disrupt bus strike

Stockholm bus traffic was at a standstill Wednesday as drivers launched a major strike at midnight, but a group of Conservative youths disrupted the action by replacing a bus route between two of the city's major hospitals. READ () »

Tax bill for politician's ties to far-right site

Tax bill for politician's ties to far-right site

Sweden Democrat MP Kent Ekeroth has to pay tax for money sent to his bank account as donations to two far-right websites that he claims to have nothing to do with editorially. READ () »

The Local List
Top ten ways you know you've turned Swedish

Top ten ways you know you've turned Swedish

For some foreigners living in Sweden, a natural "inner Swede" can develop that often doesn't show its face until you're back home again. The Local's Patrick Reilly lists the top ten ways this inner-Swede can change your life. READ () »

More Society

 

RECEIVE OUR NEWSLETTER AND ALERTS
 

 

Highlights
Elodie Pradet/The Local Elodie Pradet WikiCommons Private/Scanpix Scanpix fastighetsbyrån.se Elodie Pradet/The Local File photo: AP File photo: Scanpix Private Göran Höglund/Flickr Finest.se Scanpix Ann Törnkvist Stefan Larsson Private DoToday Scanpix, C More The Local Finest.se Facebook The Local Scanpix Ann Törnkvist/The Local Henrik Montgomery/Scanpix CDC/Wikipedia (File) kristja/sxc.hu (File) Fastighetsbyrån Swedish expats use book club to survive London Finest.se Sergei Grits Silence/WikiCommons Oliver Gee Oliver Gee Scanpix veidekke/Flickr Eddie Gee David V. Hughes

 

Latest news from The Local in Germany

More news from Germany at thelocal.de

Latest news from The Local in France

More news from France at thelocal.fr

Latest news from The Local in Norway

More news from Norway at thelocal.no

Latest news from The Local in Switzerland

More news from Switzerland at thelocal.ch

Search News


Register

Register now for:
> Free use of noticeboard
> Special discounts
> Weekly news roundup
> Unlimited use of discuss

REGISTER FOR FREE »


Blog Update: Snuggling With the Enemy

19 June 19:39

Kentucky’s Bourbon Royalty Visits Sweden »

"He's not a celebrity in Sweden, but everyone in Kentucky knows the name Fred Noe. Even more people know the name of his great-grandfather, Jim Beam." READ »

The Local's new Marketplace
Find products and services that are specifically focused on English speakers living in Sweden!
FULL DETAILS
Counseling in English
Individuals & Couples - Stockholm Beth Rogerson PhD - Clinical, Marriage & Family Therapist
Click or call 08-5580 1266 now
Trade binary options
Create an account with Banc De Binary, the world’s most reputable binary options firm, and start cashing in today! You can start by practicing with our free $50,000 demo account.
www.bbinary.com
Therapy in English
Expat counsellor & talk therapist offers counselling for stress, relationship issues, sexuality, culture adjustment & life coaching. Private & confidential. Stockholm or Skype. Contact me today! 08-559 22 636 or
CLICK HERE