Gender equality 

The County Administrative Board works to promote gender equality in the county based on the Government's national gender equality policy.

The national objective is that women and men should have the same power to shape society and their own lives. To achieve this, the Government has laid down four long-term interim goals for its gender equality policy:

• An equal distribution of power and influence. Women and men shall enjoy equal rights and opportunities to be active citizens and to shape the conditions for decision-making.
• Financial equality. Women and men shall enjoy equal opportunities and conditions with regard to education and paid work that provides lifelong financial independence.
• Equal distribution for unpaid care and household work. Women and men should take equal responsibility for household work and have opportunities to give and receive care on equal terms.
• Violence by men directed at women must cease. Women and men, girls and boys, should have equal rights and opportunity for physical integrity  

Gender equality is created when decisions are made, resources allocated and standards created, and therefore the gender perspective must be included in the daily work. This means that all policy decisions affecting individuals should highlight, analyze and consider the conditions for men and women and for girls and boys.The County Administrative Board is obliged to support municipalities, government agencies and other regional stakeholders in the process of establishing their activities on the basis of gender equality. The implementation of gender equality is the main strategy used to achieve the objective. This strategy has been developed to counteract the tendency for gender equality issues being overshadowed or given a back seat in favour of other policies and activities.