Discrimination

The following articles have been tagged with "Discrimination":

Female Swedish soldiers renew calls for fireproof undies

National: 19 Nov 09
Women in the Swedish army are demanding the provision of military underwear designed for female forms after 30 years of having to slip into something less comfortable. READ »

Swedish town restricts 'immigrant weddings'

Society: 16 Nov 09
A local politician from Landskrona in southern Sweden has decreed that only one “immigrant wedding” can be held at the town’s local community centre every month. READ »

Sweden slammed for UN rights failures

National: 9 Nov 09
Sweden has come in for harsh criticism from the country's United Nations association and 15 other organizations for failing to abide by a number of UN conventions. READ »

One in five priests refuse to wed same-sex couples

National: 7 Nov 09
A week has passed since homosexual couples were given the right to tie the knot in church. Yet, 18 percent of priests in the Gothenburg region say they refuse to preside over gay weddings. READ »

Women awarded damages for nightclub make-out session

Society: 4 Nov 09
Two women who were told to stop kissing by a guard at a popular Stockholm night club have had their damage award for discrimination upheld by the Supreme Court. READ »

Benefits agency guilty of gender discrimination

Business & Money: 3 Nov 09
Four women who were denied sick benefits during their pregnancies have won a landmark discrimination case against Sweden’s National Social Insurance agency (Försäkringskassan). READ »

Sweden to probe housing discrimination

Society: 15 Oct 09
Sweden’s Equality Ombudsman plans to launch a nationwide investigation into discrimination in Sweden’s housing market. READ »

Rejected women sue Swedish university

Education: 14 Oct 09
A group of women who are suing a Swedish university for gender discrimination have also reported Sweden’s Equality Ombudsman for refusing to take up their case. READ »

Porn shop internship costs Swedish man his job

National: 8 Oct 09
A man from Skellefteå in northern Sweden who lost his job as a personal care assistant because of a part-time internship at a local porn shop has accused his former employer of discrimination. READ »

Toys"R"Us scolded for gender discrimination

Society: 6 Oct 09
US-based toy retailer Toys"R"Us has been reprimanded for gender discrimination following a complaint filed by a group of Swedish sixth graders. READ »

Man thrown off bus in gender row

National: 3 Oct 09
A jobsworth bus driver in northern Sweden refused to allow a man to travel with his girlfriend on transport arranged for a ladies night out. READ »

'Cyncism prevails for vote-hungry officials in Sweden and Israel'

Analysis & Opinion: 28 Aug 09
As the Aftonbladet organ harvesting scandal rumbles to the end of its second week, Stockholm-based Israeli writer David Stavrou calls on policy makers in Sweden and Israel to shed light on the situation rather than turning up the heat. READ »

Probe into school's alleged Islamic veil discrimination

National: 7 Aug 09
The Swedish Equality Ombudsman has launched a probe into a case of alleged discrimination after two women who wear veils revealing only the eyes claim they were not allowed to attend adult education classes. READ »

Handball body fires referee for blogging

Sport: 5 Aug 09
Two former referees are taking the Swedish Handball Federation to court after being fired. One of the referees claims he was dismissed because he was gay, although handball officials say it was due to his personal blog. READ »

Topless bathers conspicuously absent at Malmö pools

Society: 20 Jul 09
Despite winning the right to bathe topless at all of the municipal swimming pools in Malmö, bare-breasted female bathers have remained conspicuous in their absence. READ »

Malmö win for topless Swedish bathers

Society: 24 Jun 09
Women in Malmö have been given the right to bathe topless in the swimming pools of Sweden's third largest city. READ »

Hillevi Larsson: an egalitarian voice from the south

Analysis & Opinion: 28 May 09
It was a high school’s broken ventilation system that started Hillevi Larsson’s career in politics – something she now calls a fortunate series of events, which drastically affected her life. READ »

Gudrun Schyman's quest for equality

Analysis & Opinion: 27 May 09
Feminist Initiative lynchpin Gudrun Schyman speaks to The Local about her vision for a gender equal Europe. READ »

Swedish court okays higher rent for refugees

Society: 22 May 09
A Swedish court has ruled that a landlord’s decision to charge higher rent to a refugee family does not qualify as discrimination. READ »

Sweden criticized for lack of effort on minority languages

Society: 7 May 09
Sweden has been taken to task by the Council of Europe for a lack of progress in raising social awareness about and promoting educational programs in the country’s five national minority languages. READ »

Transsexual granted right to change name to Immanuel

National: 9 Apr 09
The Swedish administrative court of appeals has granted a 28-year-old Sandviken transsexual the right to be called Immanuel, overturning a decision by the Swedish Tax Agency that the male moniker was unsuitable for a woman. READ »

Female students win discrimination case

Education: 30 Mar 09
In a closely watched affirmative action case, a Swedish court ruled on Monday that men should not have been offered spots in a veterinary school programme ahead of women with equivalent qualifications. READ »

Coke condemned a second time for 'sexist' ads

Business & Money: 20 Mar 09
An admittedly “boorish” Coca-Cola web advertisement for its Zero drink has been scolded by Sweden’s sexist ad watchdog for portraying women as “pure sex objects”. READ »

Birthplace matters in Swedish job market

Analysis & Opinion: 12 Mar 09
Foreign-born graduates of Swedish universities suffer discrimination in the Swedish labour market and are often under-paid and over-qualified, a new report shows. Action is demanded to meet the challenges of an ageing workforce. READ »

Employers shun foreign-born grads

Society: 12 Mar 09
Job market conditions for foreign-born university graduates in Sweden are worse than for those born in the country, a new report shows. READ »

No ethnic bias in Sweden: Labour Court

Society: 19 Feb 09
Sweden’s Ombudsman for Ethnic Discrimination hasn’t won a single case before the country’s labour court since 2003. READ »

Muslim woman sues college over veil ban

Society: 12 Feb 09
A Stockholm woman has reported an adult education college in Spånga to the Equality Ombudsman (DO) after being told that she could not wear an Islamic headscarf in class. READ »

Russians in Sweden: taming a fear of the bear

Analysis & Opinion: 30 Jan 09
In the first of a series highlighting different communities in Sweden, The Local’s David Landes takes a look at how the sprawling and complex history of Swedish-Russian relations affects life for Russians living in Sweden today. READ »

Sales force told to use 'Swedish' names

Society: 30 Jan 09
Employees with foreign backgrounds working for a telemarketing company in Jönköping in central Sweden claim management encouraged them to change their names in order to increase sales. READ »

New lift for Sweden's minority languages

Politics: 29 Jan 09
The Swedish government has promised to do more to preserve and promote the country’s official minority languages. READ »

Women only gym zones 'not discriminatory'

Society: 8 Jan 09
Sweden's Equal Opportunities Ombudsman has ruled against a man from Malmö who disputed the right of a local gym to reserve a section for women only. READ »

Segregation 'widespread' for Swedish immigrants

Politics: 18 Dec 08
A study released on Thursday by Statistics Sweden (SCB) reports widespread segregation in the fields of education, housing, employment and politics. READ »

High court rejects gay priest marriage case

Society: 16 Dec 08
A homosexual couple have lost their case in the Supreme Administrative Court against the Swedish tax authority for registering their marriage in Canada as a partnership. READ »

Student receives damages for headscarf slight

Society: 13 Dec 08
A student at a Landskrona secondary school in southern Sweden has been awarded damages for being told not to wear an Islamic headscarf. READ »

Dutch woman barred from borrowing books

Society: 11 Dec 08
A Stockholm-area library is facing a discrimination lawsuit for refusing to let a Dutch woman check out more than two books because she wasn't Swedish. READ »

Opposition parties to build coalition

Politics: 7 Dec 08
Sweden’s opposition political parties have announces plans to build a united coalition government following the 2010 Riksdag elections. READ »

Ombudsmen critical of racist school book

Education: 27 Nov 08
Two Swedish ombudsman offices have added their voices to the chorus of criticism about a school book accused of having racist and sexist contents, but are powerless to do anything about it. READ »

Black & Decker nailed over 'gender discrimination' in ad

Society: 13 Nov 08
US power tool maker Black & Decker has received a hammering from a Swedish advertising watchdog for an advert described as "degrading" to women. READ »

Left Party: 'force pastors to perform gay weddings'

Politics: 11 Nov 08
As Sweden moves closer to a same-sex marriage law, Left Party leader Lars Ohly wants to include a provision to force pastors to wed gay couples. READ »

Report faults Sweden for discrimination

National: 7 Nov 08
Swedish minorities face widespread discrimination including a lack of education in their mother tongues, Sweden's ombudsman against ethnic discrimination said on Friday. READ »

Swinging: A very Swedish pastime or the last taboo?

Dating: 28 Oct 08
Judging by the number of column inches devoted to the subject in recent months, one would be forgiven for thinking that partner-swapping had become the noughties equivalent of the Tupperware party, writes Jennifer Heape. But is swinging really Sweden’s new favourite hobby? READ »

Damages 'too low' after vacuum cleaner attack on schoolboy

Education: 27 Oct 08
A pupil in eastern Sweden has been awarded 5,000 kronor ($600) in damages after a teacher attacked him with an industrial vacuum cleaner. READ »

Romeo foxtrot victor over Juliet

Society: 9 Oct 08
Sweden's Equal Opportunities Ombudsman has ruled against a woman who accused a dance school of discrimination when it refused to allow her to take the lead while learning the foxtrot. READ »

Court lowers award to Malmö night club discrimination victims

National: 1 Oct 08
Sweden’s Supreme Court has reduced the compensation to be paid to four men who were discriminated by a Malmö night club. READ »

Reports of routine Swedish racism 'grossly exaggerated'

Analysis & Opinion: 23 Sep 08
While immigrants can find it difficult to establish a foothold on the job market in Sweden, politicians, intellectuals and the media are often too quick to make employment a race issue, writes Nima Sanandaji. READ »

Swedish lesbian couple sues over fertility treatment rules

Society: 2 Sep 08
The ombudsman against discrimination due to sexual orientation (HomO) is taking the case of a lesbian couple from northern Sweden who claim they don’t have equal access to artificial insemination procedures. READ »

Ombudsman sues firm over Muslim woman's firing

Society: 1 Sep 08
Sweden’s ombudsman for ethnic discrimination (DO) has sued a cleaning company after it dismissed a Muslim woman for not dressing appropriately on the job. READ »

Ahmad and James on Swedish bank's blacklist

Society: 26 Aug 08
Swedish bank Skandiabanken has come under fire for a blacklist that prevents customers with Arabic-sounding names from using routine banking services. READ »

Credit card ban for Swedish pensioners

Society: 20 Aug 08
Swedish clients over the age of 75 are not eligible for credit cards at the US-owned Citibank in Sweden. READ »

Swedish pharmacies' sex toys 'discriminate against men'

Society: 11 Aug 08
Swedish state-run pharmacy Apoteket has been reported to the Swedish Equal Opportunities Ombudsman agency JämO for only selling sex toys suitable for women, thus apparently discriminating against men. READ »

Crowds throng Stockholm for gay fest

Society: 3 Aug 08
Hundreds of thousands of people braved pouring rain in Stockholm Saturday to watch or participate in this year's colourful EuroPride parade to protest discrimination against homosexuals. READ »

Campground to Swedish family: 'Your caravan is just too ugly'

Society: 28 Jul 08
A family from Borås received an unlikely explanation for why they were denied access to a camp site in Falkenberg in western Sweden last week: their caravan was just too ugly. READ »

Health authority sued over lesbian insemination

Society: 26 Jul 08
Only one woman in a lesbian couple has the right to insemination according to Uppsala health authority. Discrimination - argues the Ombudsman against Discrimination on grounds of Sexual Orientation (HomO). READ »

Sexist holiday schedule angers prison guards

National: 26 Jul 08
A male guard must always be in attendance when prisoners are exercising in the yard. This new rule has upset guards at Norrköping remand prison who have reported the case to the equal opportunities ombudsman. READ »

Linna appointed new 'Super Ombudsman'

Politics: 17 Jul 08
Katri Linna (right) has been appointed as the new 'Super Ombudsman' and director-general of the new discrimination authority. READ »

Ombudsman calls time on Sami discrimination

Society: 6 Jul 08
The Sami are routinely subjected to discrimination and their rights disregarded, a new report from the discrimination ombudsman shows. READ »

Uniforms OK'd for soldiers at gay parade

Society: 27 Jun 08
Sweden’s Armed Forces have done an about face and decided to now allow soldiers to march in Stockholm’s gay pride parade while wearing their uniforms. READ »

School's out for death metal teacher

Society: 24 Jun 08
A hard rocking teacher who was fired before ever setting foot in a classroom has lodged a discrimination complaint with Sweden’s Ombudsman of Justice (JO). READ »

'Don't bin non-European college applications'

Education: 24 Jun 08
Sweden's higher education agency has slammed a recommendation by the Association of Swedish Higher Education that schools reject applications from non-European students without review. READ »

Employment agency sued for discrimination

Society: 23 May 08
The Ombudsman against Ethnic Discrimination (DO) is suing the Swedish Employment agency for 160,000 kronor ($27,000) after a Muslim man lost his benefits for refusing to shake a woman's hand. READ »

Fresh blow for topless Swedish bathers

Society: 21 May 08
Women will continue to be barred from bathing topless at an indoor pool in Enköping following a decision by the town council’s recreation committee. READ »

High court to rule on gay marriage dispute

National: 10 May 08
A homosexual couple has taken the Swedish tax authorities to the Supreme Administrative Court for registering their marriage in Canada as a partnership. READ »

Sweden Democrats call for end to Sami privileges

Politics: 3 May 08
The Sweden Democrats have called for an end to privileges enjoyed by Sami reindeer herders at their annual party congress which began in Karlstad on Friday. READ »

'It's as if we immigrants stink of rotten fish'

Analysis & Opinion: 30 Apr 08
When deciding where in the world to study and work, Nabeel Shehzad, an engineer from Pakistan, thought Sweden seemed like the perfect place. But that was before he began to encounter discrimination on a regular basis. READ »

Muslim woman receives damages for headscarf slight

National: 12 Apr 08
A 20-year-old Malmö woman has been awarded damages after she was asked to leave a bus for wearing a veil. READ »

'Wrong names' stop Western Union transfers

National: 12 Apr 08
Western Union has stopped the private money transfers of men with common Arab names. READ »

Sweden 'must pick woman' for Euro 2008

National: 1 Apr 08
Sweden's hopes for Euro 2008 have been dealt a blow with the news that coach Lars Lagerbäck may be forced to include a female player in his squad. READ »

Ferry line denies lesbian discrimination claims

Society: 14 Mar 08
Ferry company Viking Lines has strongly denied charges of discrimination after a 26-year-old woman claimed she was asked to stop kissing another woman during a Baltic cruise. READ »

Sweden to get tougher on discrimination

Politics: 13 Mar 08
Sweden's government has presented a proposal for a new discrimination law. READ »

Sahlin pushes for more paternity leave

Politics: 11 Mar 08
Social Democrat leader Mona Sahlin has said she is ready to fight to ensure that dads spend more time with their kids. READ »

Interview: Lars Vilks

Lifestyle: 10 Mar 08
Swedish artist Lars Vilks sparked international controversy last summer when several Swedish newspapers published his drawings portraying the Muslim prophet Muhammad as a so-called roundabout dog. Rami Abdelrahman caught up with him at a seminar on International Women's Day. READ »

Muslim mum discrimination case headed to Supreme Court

National: 27 Feb 08
The City of Gothenburg has appealed to Sweden’s highest court to avoid paying damages to two Muslim women who accuse the city of discrimination. READ »

Discrimination in Sweden’s judicial system

National: 25 Feb 08
A new report has shown that Sweden’s judicial system suffers from discrimination. READ »

Running amok in Jokkmokk

Travel: 13 Feb 08
Alec Forss heads to the Arctic Circle to take in Sami culture and reindeer games at the world’s coldest winter market in Jokkmokk. READ »

Lesbian compensated for prevented puppy purchase

National: 11 Feb 08
Lesbians cannot be prevented from purchasing puppies in Sweden, a court has ruled. READ »

Government presents new anti-terror strategy

National: 8 Feb 08
The national strategy calls for increased protections for critical infrastructure. READ »

Muslim mums win discrimination appeal

Society: 29 Jan 08
Two Muslim mothers have won a court appeal against a municipal pool in Gothenburg that required them to take off their veils and body-covering clothing. READ »

Polish sign reported for discrimination

Society: 25 Jan 08
A camera store owner has been reported to Sweden's ethnic discrimination ombudsman (DO) for displaying a sign in Polish. READ »

Sweden and Norway cancel Darfur mission

Politics: 10 Jan 08
Sweden and Norway have withdrawn their offer of a joint force of 400 troops to be sent to Darfur. READ »

Opera star rape suspect slams Sweden

Society: 7 Jan 08
Opera star Tito Beltran has described Sweden as "worse than Chile during the dictatorship". READ »

Probe into Swedish-only workplace idea

National: 22 Dec 07
Whip out those dictionaries just in case Swedish becomes compulsory at work. READ »

Fatherhood boosts men's careers

Society: 23 Nov 07
Men's careers blossom when they become fathers. The same cannot be said for mothers, a new study has found. READ »

School slammed for gay slur

National: 14 Nov 07
A school in Stockholm with a Christian profile has received a rap on the knuckles from school authorities for teaching children that homosexuality is sinful. READ »

Topless Swedish bathers: 'They're just breasts'

Society: 12 Nov 07
Feminists have launched a campaign for the right to bathe topless at Sweden's swimming pools. 'We too want to be able to pull off our shirts at football matches,' says one activist in the 'Bare Breasts' network. READ »

Female equality ombudsman gets lower pay

Society: 9 Nov 07
Sweden's new Equal Opportunities Ombudsman, who is a woman, is to receive a considerably lower salary than her predecessor, who is a man. READ »

'Uncle Roger' fined for spreading virus

Science & Technology: 5 Nov 07
A man who created and spread a computer virus that caused chaos for Swedish public authorities and media companies in 2002 has been found guilty of unauthorized access to a computer network. READ »

A leap of faith

Lifestyle: 12 Oct 07
Swedish women who convert to Islam: Of the 400,000 people in Sweden estimated to be celebrating the end of Ramadan this weekend, around 5,000 are ethnic Swedes who have converted to Islam. Two women converts tell Rami Abdelrahman about how they square their faith with society's expectations. READ »