National machinery for gender equality in Sweden and other Nordic countries

This chapter describes the 'Nordic model' of national machinery for gender equality. It shows the similarities between the countries, but also the differences. The chapter argues that the development of a Nordic mainstreaming strategy is an important step in the efforts to promote gender equality in this region. The official Nordic cooperation on gender equality, conducted by the Nordic Council of Ministers, is based on the development of pilot projects and reports on priority areas. Institutional mechanisms for gender equality, equality legislation and the implementation of measures to promote equality neither can nor should be structured in the same way in all countries. The chapter concludes with a focus on the specific case of Sweden. Norway was the first Nordic country to start systematic work to mainstream a gender perspective in all policy fields. The other countries have recently started to develop their mainstreaming strategies.