Abstract

The severe consequences of the economic crisis of 2007/2008 – caused by the expansion of financial sector, high risk exposure and over-dimensioned speculation – call for a new economic design. The intense search for appropriate solutions opens space for innovative ideas for smart and fair socioeconomic progress. The increasing participation of women in the economy and society is real, revealing unexploited gains which sophisticated mathematical models cannot grasp. The aim of this paper is to show how a gender approach in economics reveals new reserves and incentives for development – at the local and global levels. The research question is how gender equality contributes to achieving these results. The Norwegian experience is used here as a case study. It shows the development of gender equality in Norway from a historical perspective, its challenges both before and now, and finally, the positive results it has produced, by comparison with selected European countries and the US. “Economic citizenship” – one's own income and access to paid work/self-employment and thus participation in decision making (in politics & business) are the main pillars of equality in Norway.

Key words: gender, economics, equality, Norway

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