Konur og lýðræði

Siv Friðleifsdóttir samstarfsráðherra Norðurlanda
Ræða flutt á ráðstefnu um konur og lýðræði í Reykjavík,
8. október 1999

Women and Democracy at the Dawn of the Millennium.

Excellencies, Government Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen:

It is a great pleasure for me to address this conference on behalf of the Nordic Council of Ministers, in which Iceland holds presidency this year. A milestone like the coming turn of the century is a suitable time to pause, assess the situation and organize the next steps to be taken. The twentieth century will be remembered for many things – one of which is that we have seen more changes in women's lives during this single century than ever before in the history of humankind. In most places their formal rights have been secured, most women now have the opportunity to control their own lives, including their childbearing, and in many countries women have achieved the goal of taking part in shaping their societies. But we should certainly bear in mind that these changes do not extend to all women. We still live in a world where the fundamental human rights of women are trampled upon. We still live in a world where some societies reject their rights, set a different framework for their lives and impose different rights and obligations on them from those of men. We still live in a world where women constitute the great majority of the world's absolute poor, and work two-thirds of the world's working hours but earn only one-tenth of the world's income.

The century that is drawing to a close has also seen more democracies emerge than at any other time in the history of humankind. But is this real democracy?
The fact is that in most countries of the world, including those that are regarded as democracies, all the main pillars of government are run by men and based on men's priorities. Thus the cornerstones of democracy primarily exist for men. We Icelanders often boast of the world's oldest democratic national assembly – but the fact is that this ancient democratic system excluded women from participating in its decision-making.

Democracy demands equal participation by both sexes in shaping society and in public decision-making. Our societies are comprised of women and men. And the power structure must reflect the composition of our societies, to prevent democracy from being an empty illusion.

One of the godmothers of Icelandic gender equality, Svava Jakobsdóttir, a former member of parliament and an author, includes in her novel The Saga of Gunnlöð an account of the priestess Gunnlöð who brings Óðinn the holy mead to drink during his initiation into kingship. This sacred drink was the birthright of women and had been entrusted to the priestess of the temple. It was the song of creation. The priestess' power over kings was enshrined in the magic of the mead in its golden urn. By sipping the mead, the king-to-be acquired the language of gods and poets, and perceived both the ultimate logic of things and every smallest word. Perceived the harmony of all things.
But Óðinn stole the sacred mead and thereby disrupted the balance of power between women and men that had been established in creation.

It is our task to reclaim that sacred drink. It is our task to ensure that, in the future, women enjoy complete equality with men – that they enjoy their birthright, that their unique status and the unique status of men shall be recognized. This is what we must present to our daughters and our sons, to the generations of the 21st century. In this way alone can we ensure harmony in creation.

Ladies and Gentlemen:
Widespread success has been achieved towards greater equality between women and men during the century that is now drawing to a close. But there is still work to be done. During the next two days we will consult about the next steps to be taken and prioritize our tasks.

It is important for us to work on a transnational basis, exchange ideas and support each other's efforts. We have reached different stages on the road towards our common goal, but none of us has completed the course. In the Nordic countries, we have managed to reach the stage where women now account for 30-40 percent of the members of our national parliaments. A great leap was made in the last parliamentary election in Iceland, when the proportion of women members of parliament increased from 25 to 35 percent. However, there is no country in the world which can claim that women are involved in shaping economic policy to the same extent as men. The same is true of access to capital, and of influence in the business world. There is no question that economic decisions affect the lives of men and women in different ways. Government action in this area must take this fact into account and be guided by a gender perspective.

The Nordic countries are often recognized for their long and strong democratic tradition in which women have achieved one of the highest degrees of equality compared with other nations – but also because the Nordic countries have for several decades developed cooperation among themselves which in many respects is unique in the world.
These nations began cooperation on gender equality 25 years ago and since 1992 fruitful Nordic cooperation has been taking place with the Baltic States and the Barents Sea region, on issues including gender equality.
This cooperation is undertaken today according to a Programme on Gender Equality covering the period 1998-2000, financed partly through the Nordic Council of Ministers and partly nationally. Priorities in the programme are education, information and development of supporting networks.
Cooperation between women's organisations in the Nordic and the Baltic states has increased rapidly during the last few years and is coordinated through different networks. The aim being to connect gender equality activists, authorities and researchers from all the countries involved and to give access to information on gender equality to a wider audience.
Nordic cooperation on gender equality, both within the Nordic Council of Ministers and with the Baltic States, is well organized and dynamic. And I sincerely hope that the Nordic Council of Ministers will be able to play an active part in following up the proposals for tasks and actions generated by this conference.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The successes achieved in many countries around the world have brought women financial independence and opportunities for participating in the economy and in public life. However, one consequence of this achievement has been to place very many women under an enormous strain. It is my hope that a society will evolve in the 21st century in which women and men enjoy equal opportunities to take part in family life and economic activity, and that this conference will make a contribution towards achieving that goal.