Gender equality the Nordic way: the Nordic Council's and Nordic Council of ministers' cooperation with the Baltic States and Northwest Russia in the political field of gender equality 1999-2010

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Lygybė; Lyčių lygybė; Lyčių diskriminacija; Politika; Institucijos; Bendradarbiavimas; Baltijos šalys (Baltic states); Šiaurės Taryba; Šiaurės ministrų taryba; Equality; Gender equality; Gender discrimination; Politics; Institutions; Cooperation; Baltic States; Lithuania; Nordic Council; Nordic Council of Ministers.

ENDuring recent decades gender equality has gradually transformed from a controversial and sometimes rejected claim to a meta-concept that scored high points in the global political discourse. However, this development shouldn’t be taken to mean that gender equality has also been politically or socially implemented. In some cases the strong international gender equality discourse that characterized international political bodies even provoked a pronounced dissociation from gender equality politics.1 At the same time, there is no universally accepted definition of gender equality. Quite the contrary - there is an ongoing struggle for the power to determine the factual content of this political field. The Nordic countries have taken active part in this struggle, and since the early 1970s they have tried to convince international political bodies and governments to do gender equality the Nordic way. [Extract, p. 20]