FRP does not want modern women – Statement

Let’s start with what Sylvi Listhaug writes in her column on news Ytring, and which we agree on: A high proportion of Norwegian women choose working life. It provides increased value creation and competitiveness, more wise minds and important perspectives. It is good. The task of politics must be to give everyone equal opportunities to make the choices they want in life. Having a job to go to means a lot to people. Not only because it brings a salary into the account, but because work is to belong, to use one’s skills and qualities, to do something useful with others, to feel useful to oneself and others. There is a very big difference between being parents of young children today, and what was the reality for women in the 40s and 50s. Women at that time did not have kitchen appliances, dishwashers or tumble dryers, and they did not have daycare and after-school care. The housewife role was a full-time occupation. It is common to feel that time is not enough when you have small children. Whether you are a politician, a nurse, a student or a housewife, most parents probably feel that they should have eight arms and four legs to make everyday life go smoothly. We have high expectations of what we will achieve ourselves. And it is not difficult to understand that both women and men want to spend time with their children and have the resources to do so. Young women today have to make choices that are right for them and their families. But it cannot and should not be controversial to encourage everyone to look for the opportunities that exist in working life. In Norway, we have a working life that can be adapted to the life phases to a very large extent, while at the same time we must not overlook that the possibility of flexible arrangements is unequally distributed. We have come a long way when it comes to equality both at home and in the workplace. It’s about women getting into work, and men getting the opportunity to take responsibility at home. Seen from an international perspective, we are privileged. We must be careful that we do not go in reverse, as equality is experiencing in many other countries. FRP wants to remove paternity leave, it is a bad contribution to equality. Cash support is a bad idea, because it primarily goes to pay women to stay at home rather than use welfare services such as daycare. The government has also reduced the price of a nursery place year after year, which means that more families can choose nursery school, in contrast to the bourgeois, who have increased the price of nursery schools year after year. Women in work are not only important for the welfare society and the individual, it will be able to create more innovation, a better working environment, contribute to better decisions and improve profitability. Norwegian business is facing a major transformation: If we are to meet the challenges we face, we need more women in working life, as entrepreneurs, and in boardrooms. The government is working on the first comprehensive report to the Storting on entrepreneurs, and it will have a separate chapter on female entrepreneurs. For the Labor Party, it is a clear political goal that women and men should be equally represented where power is exercised, including on boards and management in companies and enterprises. The government has introduced a requirement for a 40 per cent gender balance on boards. We are the first in the world to do this. Young women must know that there is a place for them in working life, that they are important and have something to contribute! Published 14.06.2024, at 14.46



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