Sundsvall develops equal services

Sundsvall is participating in a development programme 2009 - 2010 for equal and gender equal service at the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SAL-AR).The project"Equal Worth" (EW) is an improvement process for equal service to all inhabitants. Women and men, girls and boys, are entitled to a good treatment and high quality service on equal terms.

Project partitipants at Alnöbadet. From left to right the swimming instructors and attendants: Tony Nilsson, An-nika Nilsson, Jessica Lundström, Supervisor Yvonne Lehnberg and Annika Magnusson.

The objectives are:

► To strengthen the democratic process and start mainstream ing the gender perspective in the objectives of the political boards, the decision making processes,
► To develop the operations within the organization for awareness and understanding of the gender perspective, which includes everyone,
► To certify equal, gender equal and non-discriminating service to all customers and inhabitants.

The main part of the objectives have been reached and the project has been found important and useful by the participants.

Results on the political level

• 26 elected officials from all boards now taking part in EW.
• Political initiatives for analyzing governing documents has started gender mainstreaming in several processes.

New facts from Leisure and Culture Department

• Girls and boys get almost the same training hours in sports ac commodations.
• The grants to NGOs for leisure and sport activities are relatively equal between girls and boys. The girls dominate in horse riding and figure skating and the boys dominate in ice hockey and floorball.
• 61% of the grants to NGOs for building, rent and electric costs, go to boy-dominated sports. Girl sports get 39%.

Some results from the workplaces

• The staff experience- more gender conscious approach
• The youth recreation centre, where 70% of visitors are boys, have enhanced awareness of their actions, activities, internal environ ment and budget for a better gender equality.
• One indoor bath has analysed statistics from a gender perspective and changed its offer.

Gender mainstreaming is a conscious way of thinking, rather than another work task. Political priority is needed to make gender main-streaming successful. The society as a whole must be committed to promote gender equality.