ABSTRACT
Scandinavian countries are famous for their extraordinarily women-friendly credentials. This chapter investigates how historical and contemporary expressions of feminism in Norway – be they cultural, political or intellectual – resonate with the core design principles for successful groups developed by Elinor Ostrom and David Sloan Wilson. It is argued that the limited influence of Anglo-American-style liberal feminism; a reform-oriented tradition of “feminism of difference”; a social-democratic-tempered approach to patriarchy; a firm egalitarian embedding of feminist claims across the political spectrum; Norwegian feminism’s strong emphasis on political representation; its compromise orientation and focus on piecemeal progress; and its stress on shared values and community ideals, are all characteristics that could be considered conducive to group success. However, the core design principles are quite general and give considerable scope for interpretation and reasonable disagreement. There is, thus, plenty of leeway to claim that Scandinavian feminism and gender partnership ideas inhabit a significant core design spirit that has been conducive to gender equality successes in this region, while maintaining that reform and critical debate remain sensible and important.
