ABSTRACT
The Scandinavian countries – Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland – have most of the world’s highest female representations in their national parliaments. Particularly since the 1970s, the percentage of women in all five countries’ parliaments increased significantly, reaching world record highs in the 1990s. This chapter first provides a comparative Scandinavian context for understanding why and how large numbers of women obtained parliamentary seats in this world region, and subsequently focuses on Norway as a specific case. It then discusses the significance of large numbers of women in Scandinavian parliaments and concludes with an assessment of challenges that still lie ahead.
