UCLA Center for the Study of Women

The Norwegian Gender Equality Act of 1978 established that “women and men shall be given equal opportunities in education, employment and cultural and professional advancement” (1978:1). However, there is still a gap between women’s entry into careers historically dominated by men. Taking the example of women pursuing doctoral degrees, there are several barriers that women face when completing their dissertation and entering the job market in academia: having fewer hours to work on their dissertation due to their duties as wives and mothers, as well as the sexist attitudes of mentors (Rogg 2001, Husu 2001, Knudsen 2002). Creating quotas for women in jobs and encouraging them to enter male‐dominated professions is not enough; the very idea that women are natural carers and men are natural workers needs to be addressed through policy initiatives (Borchorst 2008). Many policies have been implemented in the Nordic countries to dismantle the obstacles that women face in their careers, and men face in caregiving.