Forestry Sector Gender Equality Council

At the beginning of last year, the Swedish Forest Agency initiated the Forestry Sector Gender Equality Council, which now brings together around 35 organizations. Three times a year, executives and experts meet to collectively discuss and develop gender equality efforts within the forestry sector.

"We recognized early on that we shared a joint responsibility with the Swedish Forest Agency regarding these issues, and therefore, from an early stage, we became part of the council's secretariat to develop its working methods and structure," says Elias Andersson, vice Dean responsible for gender equality and equal opportunities at the Faculty of Forest Sciences.

Between these three annual meetings, three working groups delve deeper into problem descriptions, measures, and follow-ups in the areas of education, employment, and individual forest ownership. The work of the first working group is led by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) together with student representatives, other forestry educational providers, and the Swedish Forest Agency. During the major council meeting held in Gothenburg, hosted by the Forestry Society, in April, the members made decisions on, among other things, general targets for gender-equal education that the working group had developed during the spring.

"The two overarching target images regarding an 'education/study environment free from discrimination and victimization' and 'an open and inclusive education/study environment' are linked to our work against discrimination and gender mainstreaming," says Tina Sjöström, Gender Equality and Equal Opportunities Analyst at the Faculty of Forest Sciences and secretary in the education working group.

At the end of September, the council will take its next step when all the experts meet again at Ultuna, where the Faculty of Forest Sciences will host the event.

"In Uppsala, more concrete measures, tools for change, and key indicators for follow-up will be discussed and prepared for the next major council meeting in April 2024," says Elias Andersson.

Read more about the Gender Equality Council and its work at: https://www.skogsstyrelsen.se/om-oss/organisation/radgivande-grupper/skogssektorns-jamstalldhetsrad/