Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Scandinavian Culture – Sweden
Photo: Volvo Museum/Lisa Jabar.
Staffan Forssell, director general of the Swedish Arts Council.
Bildmuseet. Photo: Polly Yassin, Bildmuseet
Equality, diversity and culture – underpinning Sweden’s success At the very top of Forbes’ annual Best Countries for Business list, followed by New Zealand and Hong Kong, sits Sweden. The accolade is a tribute to Sweden’s worldclass taxation system, innovation, technological development, share market and bureaucracy. Sweden is also home to some of the world’s most famous brands – Volvo, IKEA, H&M, Electrolux and Ericsson. So, what is the secret to Sweden’s success? In part, it is gender equality. By Staffan Forssell, director general of the Swedish Arts Council
According to US-based consulting firm McKinsey, if the sexes were equal in standing then the global economy would grow by more than 25 per cent. With the highest rate of female participation in the workforce of any EU country, Sweden is a pioneer for the cause. What is more, Swedish women are now serving as government ministers, business executives, lawyers and managers in greater numbers than ever before.
broader range of human experience. We believe that art is only truly free when the playing field is level.
The Swedish Arts Council systematically includes gender equality considerations in each of its decisions to fund cultural practitioners. The Council holds that a national cultural scene characterised by gender equality promotes quality, artistic renewal and diversity by showcasing a
A cultural policy objective established in the Swedish parliament states that culture should be accessible to all. Experience and opportunity are not solely products of gender, however. Age, ethnicity, sexuality, gender identity, functional ability, language, economic status, place
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The Council strives to uphold gender equality through an equal distribution of power, influence and resources between women and men in grants and other promotional activities. In total, the Council allocates around one third of Sweden’s national culture budget.
of residence and religious beliefs are also factors that affect an individual’s ability to actively shape their world. I do not claim that the Swedish society is equal in every respect; we still have a long way to go. Nevertheless, the majority of Swedes agree that greater equality helped make Sweden what it is today and contributed to the World Economic Forum’s finding that “Sweden beats other countries at just about everything”.
About the Swedish Arts Council The Swedish Arts Council is a public authority under the Swedish Ministry of Culture, whose task is to promote cultural development and access based on the national cultural policy objectives. The Council achieves this by allocating and monitoring state funding, alongside other promotional activities.
For more information, please visit: www.kulturradet.se