– Women must understand that it is good to work 100 per cent. That’s what the newly appointed municipal director in Arendal, Inger Hegna, says. After being a cottage resident in Arendal for many years, she has now moved to the municipality. – Working part-time is a poverty trap that often falls on women. And in Southern Norway, there are more people who are trapped, says Hegna. She points out that the region has a more traditional gender role pattern than the rest of the country, where more women choose to work part-time. Figures from Statistics Norway show that 47 per cent of women in Agder work part-time. It is the highest in the country. 19 per cent of men work part-time in the county. Across the country, 37 percent of women work part-time. 17 percent of men work part-time. Agder stands out Little Lea enjoys a trolley ride in the summer heat in Arendal. She stretches her arms in the air and wants to go up to mum Julie Stokke Thomassen. Julie enjoys her days with her daughter, while she still has leave. But when the daughter is old enough, mum wants to go 100 per cent to work. Photo: Per-Kåre Sandbakk / news – I am very happy to have this time with Lea. Especially the first two years are something you can’t get back, says mum Julie. At the same time, she encourages the municipal director to address the problem that too many people choose to work part-time in the city she lives in. “Getting more women into full-time work is important in order to achieve better equality,” believes the mother of young children. Kevin Grosvold and Lene Nordby are also on a trolley ride. They have a son Lucas together, but the couple are not too keen on women having to work full time. – It must be up to each individual how they want to arrange their life, says dad Kevin. Photo: Per-Kåre Sandbakk / news A full-time job provides financial security Professor Ellen Katrine Nyhus sits at the University of Agder. She has done a lot of research on women and the economy, and is very keen on women realizing the value of working full time. – More women in work will give society more hands, which we need. But it will also give women greater financial security, says the professor. She reminds us that around 50 per cent get divorced, and that it is important for women to be able to manage without the man being the main breadwinner. Photo: Per-Kåre Sandbakk / news Flexible working life Agder lags behind in many measurement units for equality. That is the reason why the municipal director in Arendal wants to work actively to change the habits of people in the south. – Working life has become good at flexible solutions, so that it is possible to juggle working hours, says Inger Henga. She herself has three children and reveals that she has worked part-time once. – Then I was employed in an 80 percent position, but worked over 100 percent. So that solution was really bad, she says, laughing.
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New municipal director in Arendal asks women to work more – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
