Kia ora och hej from Sweden,

I have spent some time with family and friends here over summer, and rather cunningly I might add, avoiding the worst of winter at the same time. I also took the opportunity to meet with Sveriges Kvinnoorganisationer.

Patriarchy ends here

They are an umbrella organisation, like ours in many ways, and it was very interesting to hear about their work and priorities to promote gender equality in Sweden. One of their many strengths is analysis and they do a thorough annual report on the government budget from a gender lens. This year’s budget did not get a good report card.

Sweden has a really strong reputation for gender equality, but like many, are feeling the effects of the global context for women and girls changing for the worse. One - of many - interesting projects they are part of focuses on democracy: MOTERIS, Protecting the Civic Space of Women and Girls. This project is a collaboration between fourteen European Union countries and includes both monitoring progress as well as capability lifting. This is in response to decreased funding, access and lack of voice for women organisations focused on preventing gender-based violence, protecting reproductive rights or combatting the impacts on women of prostitution. (See the press release on the launch of this project here - .pdf file. Also see, the European Network of Migrant Women Facebook reel here.)

A few Board members were buzzing as they had just come from a camp for girls and young women discussing topics like feminism and sisterhood. A successful and inspiring time for often disenfranchised young women, now in its second year. Fittingly it’s hosted where the Swedish suffrage movement really kicked off, Fogelsta, only down the road from where I grew up.

Sveriges Kvinnoorganisationer is Sweden’s representative to the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and highly value international collaboration. They also - and rightly so - highlighted that we have to work with men as allies to make lasting change.

I shared some of NCWNZ background, including some of the current issues in New Zealand. They were impressed to hear how early we got the vote, and that we are often invited to make oral submissions - apparently something not at all common in Sweden. They were interested to hear about our gender attitude survey and we will share the result with them after the 2025 results are launched on Wednesday 17 September in Wellington.

Speaking of international collaborations, you may recall that we work closely with the National Council of Women Australia, who represented NCWNZ at the International Council of Women General Assembly in Marrakesh in June.

Fiona Dorman, their president, recently shared an overview of the resolutions passed and some of the hot topics raised. It’s becoming clear that we have to continue to work across borders. A personal reflection from Fiona was how much she appreciates and values the indigenous wisdom demonstrated at these type of events. We are very lucky to have such strength in our country from our tangata whenua and wāhine Māori.

I’ll finish with a Swedish saying: Många bäckar små, göra en stor å. A literal translation would be something like ‘many small streams create one big river’. When there’s so many things that feel difficult in the world right now, it’s too easy to forget that small actions can lead to great change.

[Above is a photo from the hui, in the back row from the left; myself, Inger Lise Olsen, styrelseledamot (Board member) and Ebba Nikolic Kajrup, Internationell sekreterare (International Secretary). In the front from the left: Susannah Sjöberg, Generalsekreterare (General Secretary), Katja Åsbäck von Meyburg, styrelseledamot och representant för Roks (riksorganisationen för Sveriges kvinno- och tjejjourer) Board member and representative for women and girls’ refuge services).  In the meeting was also Ewa Johansson, styrelseledamot  (Board member - who had to leave earlier so is not in the photo]

By

Carin Sundstedt
NCWNZ Board Member

To read more articles from  The Circular (July-August 2025) issue 653, click on the tag below.