The Nordic Way: The role of social protection systems in supporting gender equality and sustainable growth. Ass. professor Dr Åsa Löfström Umea School of Business, Economics and Statistics, Sweden asa.lofstrom@umu.se Brussel October, 19th 2018

Growth – what do we mean? Economic growth Sustainable growth   Economic growth Sustainable growth Reasonable growth Human growth Emotional growth

Gender equality – a measure and a tool 1) Growth Gender equality 2) Growth Gender equality 3) Growth Gender equality

GDP/capita and Gender Equality 2015/16 in EU28. Source: EIGE, Eurostat

Gender Equality Index and Fertility Rate (Source: EIGE and OECD family data base) 2005 2015

Unemployment among women, fertility rate and public spending on childcare. The case of Sweden 1990-2016.

Distribution between cash and childcare in Germany and Sweden Distribution between cash and childcare in Germany and Sweden. (Percent Source: OECD) Germany Sweden

Question: What are needed to fulfill this important statement? Gender equality is achieved when women and men enjoy the same rights and opportunities across all sectors of society, including economic participation and decision-making, and when the different behaviours, aspirations and needs of women and men are equally valued and favoured. Question: What are needed to fulfill this important statement? Answer: A comprehensive policy in general and a policy for the Social Infrastructure (SI) in particular. The Nordic countries did realize this early, although they did advance at different rates and with different solutions. SI is necessary to improve men’s responsibility and aspirations in the family and women’s in private and public sector. SI is not cheap but necessary. However most of it must be financed by public finances. The legislation around this must be negotiated where both employers’ confedaration and unions are involved.

All over the world motherhood is still a hindrance for women to be in the paid labor force on decent conditions. But lack of possibilities for men to exercise their charter as active and present fathers must also be seriously recognised. A reasonable package, considering men and women wants children, may therefore consist of: a) a good and transparent parental insurance, b) parental leave of reasonable lenght for both parents c) child allowances d) affordable child care and e) child care of good quality And last but not least; A package of different tools directed to parents and parents in spe is an urgent task. Since this is also about a child’s right to two parents this must also be done out of children’s perspective. This is a first but an important step for men and women to make a choise on equal ground - for their own and their children’s future. Done correctly this will lay a gound for : Economic, sustainable as well as human growth in the different EU-countries.

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