A few days ago, I received a question from a friend: “Hey, Grace, is it true that Norwegian women are the ones in charge there?” Most Filipinos are curious about the strong position of women in Northern Europe, and I jokingly replied, “I don’t know, but I see a lot of men here taking care of kids, so their wives are probably the ones who keep the wheels turning.”
During my first walk to the Royal Palace, my husband and I attended the changing of the guards, and I was surprised when I saw that the commander was a woman. She looked bright and sharp in her uniform and commanded the male guards naturally (not much submissiveness there!) Norway is one of the most equal countries in the world, although it is a kingdom.
A park with ponds and statues surrounds the Royal Palace. One of the statues honors Camilla Collett, a strong female writer born in 1813 and considered the first Norwegian feminist. She was sharply critical of women’s submissive role and society’s holding them down and not letting them release their potential as human beings. I understood better that there was a long struggle behind the freedom that Norwegian women now enjoy.
The representation of women in the Norwegian Parliament is 40%. Norway has a female Prime Minister and also a female Minister of Finance, so Norwegian women have achieved a lot. But while taking pictures in the Parliament area, I saw one of the many beggars in Oslo and realized that poverty is still a sad reality here.
