Ræða Guðlaugs Þórs Þórðarsonar utanríkisráðherra
á rakarastofuráðstefnu á vegum Norrænu ráðherranefndarinnar
Kaupmannahöfn, 12. október 2017

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a pleasure to welcome you here today to the Barbershop conference, held under the auspices of the Nordic Council of Ministers. I would like to thank the Nordic team and UN Women here in Copenhagen for the excellent cooperation we have enjoyed in the run up to the conference, as well as the remarkable group of academics and speakers from the public and private sector who agreed to join us today.

At the current rate, gender equality will not be reached until the year 2133. Something has to change. With men largely missing from the debate on equality, we are playing with only half the team. I am a fan of football and we know, to win the game, we need everyone to pitch in.

I am optimistic. Most men agree that gender equality is a no-brainer - discrimination against women should not exist in the year 2017 and we should all be free to be who we want to be. We know that empowering women is the right thing to do. We also understand that it is the smart thing to do – in every aspect. Hence, we only need a little nudge to translate our sympathy for the cause into action.

This is what the Barbershop is all about. It’s a training camp of sorts, designed to equip men with the tools they need to take on an active role in achieving equality.

In our discussions here today, we will shed a light on our unconscious biases and get an insight into the day-to-day experiences of men and women that sometimes reflect persistent and rather old-fashioned social norms. Understanding ourselves and our peers is the first step - making a commitment to change something in our own behavior and lending our voices to equality is the next one.

The Nordics lead the way globally when it comes to gender equality. We know first-hand how the increased respect for women‘s human rights and their active participation in the labor force has contributed to our well-being. We are still determined to continue to make progress, but our ultimate goal is not to continue leading - our ultimate goal is for all countries to achieve gender equality.

Today, we have gathered Nordic leaders, policy makers and representatives from trade unions, business associations and private companies, for a dialogue on how we achieve this. Too often these two sectors, the public and the private, are kept separate. But gender equality concerns us all and our goal today is to share best-practices, learn from each other and be inspired by those that are leading by example.

We will focus on equality in the home and at work, two sides of the same coin. Sharing the work at home allows men and women the opportunity to perform equally well in the workplace – and reap equal pay for work of equal value. It also allows us men to enjoy more time with our families and take equal responsibility for our children’s upbringing and well-being.

Our goal here today is not to solely discuss the importance of gender equality – we agree on that. Instead, our focus will be on the how - how do we tailor our policies so they advance gender equality and how do we go from good policies to good practice.

Our speakers today will share their stories, but we will also put the spotlight on you, the audience, in the hope that today influences long-term change.

I am pleased to see that so many men have decided to join us for a discussion on how to achieve gender equality.

I wish you a fruitful discussion and a sharp Barbershop.

Thank you.