“We don’t ask permission. We don’t wait for an invitiation. Don’t agonise, organise!” Swedish Women’s Lobby Chair Gertrud Åström #nf2014 #newaction

What are the biggest challenges facing feminism? Representatives from all five Nordic countries considered this question in the session The Future of Feminism in the Nordic Region. The responses showed that the challenges are not only many, but also that each of the Nordic countries face different challenges.

“I feel that growing individualisation in society is a major challenge we have to tackle when working with gender equality issues. It blinds us to the power structures between men and women,” says Milla Pyykkönen, Finland.

The panel agreed that angry white men are a major threat to feminism. The Icelandic representantive, Kristin Astgeirdottir, pointed out that it is important to identify the biggest threats before we can make progress in the work on gender equality.

“We can see that antifeminism is growing in society. What we need are male feminists who can counterbalance the angry white men. It’s not only women who benefit from greater equality in society – men also benefit. The feminism debate needs more engaged men.”

The seminar concluded with a discussion on the economic aspects of feminimsm. The Moderator, Vicki Therkildsen, asked the panel about the links between feminism and money.

“Women do a lot of unpaid work, often in their own leisure time. Money is vital so that the women’s movements all over the Nordic region can carry out their work. Women undoubtedly have fewer economic resources than men. Support the weak instead of giving most of the resources to the man,” concludes Kristin Astgeirdottir.