One Swedish Solution to the Pay Gap: Be a Man
Sweden is considered one of the most equal countries in the world. However, the gap between men and women’s salaries has hardly changed at all for the past thirty years. At the current pace, it will take more than a century to reach equal pay. To protest against this, Annelie Nordström, President of Sweden’s largest trade union Kommunal, temporarily became a man. The action was taken to inspire women across the globe to join her in the campaign Be a Man. The international initiative aims to become the world’s largest protest against unequal pay, which started on The International Women’s Day, March 8th.
When it comes to wages, Sweden is among the world's most equal countries. According to The Global Gender Gap Report, published by the World Economic Forum, the country is placed fourth, globally*. However, at the current pace, it will take more than a century before men and women earn the same amount of money for the same work**.
"It's sad that Sweden is considered to be a global example of equal pay, given how far we have left to go. Therefore we want to do something on a global scale to improve the situation for women everywhere", says Annelie Nordström, President of Kommunal.
The campaign Be a Man highlights the absurd fact that the easiest way for a woman to get a raise is to become a man. By using either a smartphone app or visiting www.BEaMAN.se, women from around the globe can create a male version of any photo of themselves. The image is then shared in social media on The International Women’s Day, creating the largest protest against inequality ever.
Deconstructing the myth of "Equal Sweden"
In Sweden, women were first allowed to vote in 1919. Almost 100 years later, the wage gap is still significant. Swedish men earn $682 more per month than women, or $10,8 billion per year. Measured in time, men only need to work until 3:52 PM, whilst a woman has to work until 5 PM to earn the same amount. Swedish women earn only 82 % of what the nation’s men do***.
"The most comprehensive example is when you compare a nurse to a mechanic. For some reason, we as a society value the people who take care of our cars higher than the ones that tend to our children or our elderly parents", Annelie Nordström continues.
The differences between men and women are currently very obvious — and very little is indicating a change. In fact, according to recent statistics, it will take more than 100 years before the nation will attain equal pay.
Links
The film where Annelie becomes a man: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I08p24i9VuI
Sources
*: World Economic Forum (2013) The Global Gender Gap Report 2013 http://templatelab.com/global-gender-gap-report/
**:Medlingsinstitutet (2012) Rapporten om löneskillnaderna 2012
http://www.mi.se/files/PDF-er/att_bestalla/loneskillnader/skillnaden12.pdf
***: Kommunal (2013) Byt Lön
http://www.kommunal.se/PageFiles/160099/Byt%20L%C3%B6n%20-%20dags%20f%C3%B6r%20j%C3%A4mst%C3%A4llda%20l%C3%B6ner%20.pdf
Editor's Note:
Djurgården, Stockholm
Regardless of the status of pay equality, Sweden is a country of innovative social measures for its people. Sweden's official site regarding gender equality can be consulted for their policy and statistics.
Pension System:
All Swedish citizens are entitled to a pension after they retire. People can choose to start receiving their pension between the ages of 61 and 67.
From 2005 to 2011, the number of working Swedes aged 65–74 increased by 49 per cent. The average retirement age today is 64. In Sweden, the average age up to which people feel they will be capable of working in their current job is 64.4 years, the highest in the EU.
There are several different sources that make up a Swedish pension. People who have worked and lived in Sweden will get a national retirement pension based on the income on which they have paid tax. The national retirement pension consists of income pension, premium pension and guarantee pension.
The average national retirement pension in 2012 was Swedish Kroner (SEK) 11,428 per month. Using current conversion rates, that amounts to $1,793.77 US dollars. In addition to the national retirement pension, most people employed in Sweden also get an occupational pension, based on contributions made by their employers.
Altogether, 65 per cent of pensioners' total income derives from the public pension system. For added security, many choose to supplement their retirement benefits with private pension savings.
Parental Leave:
Eighty-one per cent of all children have a mother who goes out to work, and 92 per cent have fathers with jobs. Each set of parents gets 480 days of paid parental leave per child, which must be claimed before the child turns eight. Most parental leave is taken by mothers, but fathers are spending an increasing amount of time at home with their children. Men now claim about 24 per cent of all parental leave taken.
More Articles
- The Beige Book Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions By Federal Reserve District Wednesday November 30, 2022
- A la Frank Sinatra: "Come Fly With Me", U.S. Department of Transportation Airline Customer Service Dashboard
- GAO Report Released March 15th, '22 - Women in Management: Women Remain Underrepresented in Management Positions and Continue to Earn Less Than Male Managers
- Jo Freeman Reviews There is Nothing For You Here by Fiona Hill
- New York Historical Society Presents Exhibition Honoring Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Federal Reserve Issues A Federal Open Market Committee Statement: Committee Will Aim to Achieve Inflation Moderately Above 2% For Some Time
- Adrienne G. Cannon Writes: Those Lonely Days
- Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell: Monetary Policy in the Time of Covid
- Biden-Harris Administration Marks Anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act and Announces Resources to Support Individuals with Long COVID, Increased Access to Democracy for Voters with Disabilities
- Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act; Chair Jerome H. Powell Before the Committee on Financial Services, House of Representatives