Norway’s government minister in charge of culture and equality, Abid Raja, said he hopes the Oslo-based men’s club Norske Selskab will “wake up” and open up for female members. He called their current “men only” membership “incredibly old-fashioned.” Raja told state broadcaster NRK that Norske Selskab, which has around 1,200 members who mostly are affluent […]
Women light a fire under men’s club
September 7, 2020
One of the last old-fashioned “gentlemen’s clubs” in Norway came under more pressure to join the 21st century on Monday. After years of debate around the all-male Norske Selskab’s refusal to admit women, nearly 30 female opponents of the ban published harsh criticism in leading business newspaper Dagens Næringsliv (DN), and within hours another frustrated leader […]
Norway comes to grips with racism
June 25, 2020
NEWS ANALYSIS: After weeks of demonstrations, news stories, and personal accounts of discrimination, Norwegians are coming to grips with racism in their otherwise egalitarian society. Prime Minister Erna Solberg, criticized for initial silence over police brutality in the US against George Floyd, has been speaking out again, too. “After the police violence that led to […]
State fights hate against Muslims
August 28, 2019
Prime Minister Erna Solberg has moved forward with plans to tackle expressions of hatred against Muslims in Norway. Four of her government ministers launched the plan, just weeks after a young Norwegian man attacked a mosque and murdered his adopted Chinese sister after becoming a white supremacist. “We already have a string of surveys that […]
Fafo foundation recalls racism report
June 17, 2019
After weeks of debate and some harsh criticism, the Norwegian research foundation Fafo has decided to withdraw a recent report on Norwegians’ views on racism. Fafo announced just before the weekend that it plans to correct the report and publish a new version. Fafo wrote on its own website that the highly disputed formulation of […]
Survey indicates underlying racism
May 20, 2019
A new report from the research foundation Fafo shows broad support among Norwegians for “active policies” to promote equality and prevent discrimination. Around 25 percent of all those questioned, however, said they fully or partially agreed that some human races are more intelligent than others. That topped newscasts on Norwegian Broadccasting (NRK) Monday morning, not […]
Anonymity can aid job applicants
April 8, 2019
Government Minister Monica Mæland thinks it’s probably much easier for people with names like “Lars” or “Kristin” to get a job in Norway than it is for those with names that suggest non-Norwegian heritage. Her ministry is thus launching a new approach to affirmative action by testing a digital form of anonymous job applications. “In the […]
‘No discrimination’ of Muslim teacher
December 3, 2018
Norway’s state anti-discrimination board has ruled that an Oslo school did not discriminate against a Muslim man when it refused to renew his substitute teaching contract. He had refused to shake hands with female colleagues or parents, but the board ruled that his refusal in turn threatened gender equality. “If we are to make conservative […]
Black metal band rejects ‘nazi’ label
November 20, 2018
Norway has produced a lot of internationally successful black metal bands, but now one of them has caused problems for a popular concert venue in Oslo. An American rapper abruptly cancelled a concert there this week, to protest the music hall’s earlier booking of the band he branded as “nazi.” Newspaper Dagsavisen was among Norwegian […]
Muslim teacher claims discrimination
August 8, 2018
A Muslim man who lost his job as a substitute teacher at an Oslo elementary school has filed a discrimination complaint with state authorities. He claims his contract wasn’t renewed on religious grounds, because of his refusal to greet women with a handshake. “Folks think that’s because I look down on women,” the man, who’s […]
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