Uneven governance risks leading to uneven results

Gender inequality manifests itself differently across different parts of society. Although women make up 66 per cent of managers in the public sector, they remain heavily underrepresented at the top of the business sector, where only 13 per cent of CEOs of listed companies are women. At the same time, 27 per cent of elected female representatives report having been subjected to threats or harassment.

“We can see that a gender equality perspective is having an impact in certain policy areas, but is absent in others. This means the work lacks coherence and that the effects are weaker than they could be,” says Evelina Berger, investigator at the agency.

Insufficient gender equality analyses 

The report shows that gender equality analyses are often missing from key decision-making processes, such as legislative work and budget preparation. This creates a risk that the consequences for women and men are not made visible. This has tangible effects. For example, the report shows that economic reforms may increase men’s incomes more than women’s in absolute terms. Since women already have lower incomes than men, this contributes to reduced gender equality.

“Without systematic gender equality analyses, there is a risk that decisions are made on the basis of incomplete evidence. This can lead to measures failing to achieve their purpose or, in the worst case, reinforcing gender inequality,” says Evelina Berger.

Progress has slowed

Despite some progress, the report shows that progress towards several of the gender equality policy objectives has stalled.

Women’s disposable incomes are still around 22 per cent lower than men’s. Women are more likely than men to work part-time. Today, 127,000 women are involuntarily working part-time, almost twice as many as men. At the same time, women still carry out nearly twice as much unpaid care work as men. Men’s use of parental benefit has also decreased slightly.

“We are seeing positive results in some areas, but progress is too slow and in some cases has come to a standstill. That is not enough to achieve the gender equality policy objectives,” says Evelina Berger.

More coherent governance needed

While progress has stalled in several areas, others are being clearly prioritised. Around 80 per cent of the Government’s gender equality funding is allocated to efforts against men’s violence against women and honour-based violence and oppression, with more than 50 public agencies involved in over 300 Government assignments.

“To achieve impact, governance needs to become clearer, more long-term and more coordinated. This concerns both what is prioritised and how the work is followed up,” says Evelina Berger.

The report shows that a gender equality perspective needs to be more strongly integrated into both the budget process and legislative work.

A key issue for societal development

Gender equality is a fundamental part of a sustainable society. At the same time, the report shows that differences in health, finances and living conditions between women and men persist. Women, for example, report higher levels of mental ill-health and stress, while men have higher mortality rates and engage in more risk behaviours.

“Gender equality is a prerequisite for a sustainable society. Ultimately, it is about women and men having the same power to shape their own lives and society as a whole,” says Evelina Berger.

About the report

The Results Report 2026 analyses the Government’s governance in relation to the gender equality policy objectives and the results achieved during 2025.

Read the report Uneven Governance Leads to Uneven Results for Gender Equality.