(edit title) Sweden plans equality agency Options

[The Local]

Sweden plans equality agency

Over 40% of Sweden's MPs are women, as are half of the cabinet members, and more than 80 percent of women working age hold down jobs. But that's not good enough, says the government.

Full article: http://www.thelocal.se/article.php?ID=3225

[*The Teenage Diplomat*]

They don't know what equality means.

[Mike]

Swden already has an equality agency that does nothing. Do we really need another?

Anyway, the reason ther are less women CEOs is because hardly any women start companies in Sweden.

[*The Teenage Diplomat*]

Anyway, the reason ther are less women CEOs is because hardly any women start companies in Sweden.

I agree with that, and an argument that constantly being put forward is that it's not equal since men make more money. A lot of women work in the public sector, and when women start companies it's usually hair salons or something like that, whereas men start companies like Ericsson, SAAB, Volvo etc. I know that it's an extreme generalization, but I still think that it's somewhat close to the reality. I also think that in general there's a difference between men and women. Men are willing to put everything they have on one card, while women prefer security, which means that the richest people are men, and in some cases the people with the least money as well, while women are in the middle of the whole thing. Now there are women that are willing to put all on one card, but I definately think that it's more common among men.

[Mike]

Yep, right on the money Stebro.

Let's not also forget men go bald and die younger. Do women really want that?

[Alfredo]

Another male voice, and likewise I say, another equality agency ?

What a waste of money. Complete smokescreen.

As it's International Women's Day today, the timing is obvious. But, what a load of rubbish. This ought to be sorted out once and for all.

Equality, my foot. We don't treat people equally, because we don't treat people indifferently. Besides which, there are plenty of women earning more than men, for 'exactly the same jobs', take modelling, for example ?

If you're not being paid what you think you should be paid - do something about it.

It really isn't difficult.

Here's another male point of view in today's Times :

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/...2074361,00.html

The interesting stats for me are these :

''The employment rate for women in the UK is 66 per cent compared with 58 per cent for France and 54 per cent for Belgium. ''

And the conclusion :

''What the mantra of equal pay and the statistics don?t tell us is what people want. Is Britain?s large army of employed women made of true volunteers or frustrated mums who have become mortgage slaves? No one asks whether equal pay is even desirable. Equal pay requires equal workers but of course there are no equal workers. The job description is the same but the performance is always different. If all male work was judged and paid according to performance, would the gender pay gap even be noticed? The bottom line in pay is that individuals want very different things. Some women want exciting careers, some want distraction from the soul- destroying dullness of toddlers and some just want income. ''

What say the girlies ?

[Mickl]

I'm fed up hearing about all the gender equality stuff!!!!

I read somewhere that 54% of Swedens GNP is made in the Public sector - that should mean that a hell of a lot of the workforce is based in the Public sector - right? So, the government controls this, therefore they can do something about unequal salaries - right?

For the 172 listed companies with 5 women as directors - it's not my fault! Maybe some women should apply for the jobs!

54,000 new companies were registered in 2005 - how many were registered by women? That figure doesn't really mean new companies anyway, it's more likely sole-traders - anyway, who could afford to hire anyone - man or woman?

And as for this Equality agency - don't we already have a Discrimination agency? Is gender inequality not the same as discrimination? Should those that fight for gender equality not also be fighting for equality in society - I'm guessing the male/female demographic is pretty similar in immigrant communities or high-unemployment areas or handicapped peoples search for work!!!!

By hijacking equality issues under the banner of gender equality only makes it more difficult to get the other equality issues heard.

I'm all for engouraging other countries where womens rights are abused to give women their rights.

/Mick

[Roy E]

I've never heard a good answer to the argument that if indeed women are paid less then men for the same exact job, how is it that any men are employed at all?

It would make absolutely no business sense for a business to hire men in that case. If they did, a female owned company hiring only female workers at the alleged lower female pay rates could easily put the competiton out of business.

[Mike]

Women aren't paid less for the exact same job. That's a myth pure and simple.

The real statistics merely show that the average wages are not the same for men and women. They?re not the same because men take all dangerous, hard, night-shift jobs that pay more money, like coal mining, construction etc., while women tend to take more cushy, flexile jobs that pay less, like secretaries and receptionists.

[*David OL*]

I wonder if the equality agency will take into account the amount of skilled immigrants that are unemployed simply because they are... not Swedish. :roll:

:twisted:

[Roy E]

Women aren't paid less for the exact same job. That's a myth pure and simple.

Bingo! I agree. The initial premise of the 'inequality' is false.

[Yendor]

Equality? Like a single mother gets 100% of the "barnbidrag" and the single father gets ZERO "barnbidrag" ? ?

[Pearlfisher]

As long as there are differences,biological and otherwise,equality in a pure form will never exist. The idea of having another vast bureaucratic, inefficient block of highly paid people to do nothing is so silly.Why not put funds into better healthcare or education?

We have one policy in the university for hiring, that if a male and female are of equal competentcies it should be the female who gets the job. As a woman I think this is nuts.

[*Kt*]

How intersting only men posted replies to this-- and interstingly All men here seems to imply that they are sick of hearing of equality.

Fact is (problem)-- there is difference between salaries, promotion etc based on gender here in sweden. why can not ackowldege this problem in the society?

solution - why not have an agency to contribute to bridging this gap?

Or is there another solution to this to solve it?

[*Nico aka the boy wonder*]

How intersting only men posted replies to this

Not only that.. men that plays the victim card and feel they are being treated unequal when someone is pushing for equality.

Its interesting reactions.. and a little bit amusing... and sad.