Gender equality in the forest sector is the path to a more inclusive future

Agneta Larsson is a business developer at the Natural Resources Administration, Region Västra Götaland. Her work focuses on forestry and food, and she also promotes gender equality issues for a more equal forestry industry. The issue of gender equality is something Agneta has worked with before, then in the technology and industrial sector.

At Naturbruksskolan in Svenljunga, where the forestry education program was certified as a Teknikcollege two years ago, they have been working more clearly with norms and gender equality for the past year, while continuously working to create equal conditions for the students at the school.

-"In Svenljunga, we have chosen to use the Teknikcollege supervisor training as a starting point, where one module focuses on norms and jargon. The module served as an introduction to both Teknikcollege tools and the issue of gender equality for the staff, says Agneta.

Focus on gender equality training
The focus is on working with staff in the first instance, but several initiatives are also linked directly to students, in order to ensure and meet market needs. For example, the Natural Resources Administration cooperates with the Arena Skog project. The Forestry Vocational Board (SYN) has received funding to develop a new gender equality training course for students and entrepreneurs that will be launched in the fall of 2024. 

- We have hired the Equality Development Center West Sweden (EDCS) as trainers for the staff, they will also come back in August. With the help of their expertise, we get to share current facts and knowledge.

The work being done in Svenljunga feels particularly important, says Agneta, as the forestry industry is a gender-segregated industry. "Right now there are many initiatives to link up with.

Focus on creating the right conditions for women in the forestry industry

In general, the industry is actively working to get more women into managerial positions in forestry - and has succeeded numerically. But in order for women to want to stay in the forest industry, it is important to create the right conditions. Agneta reflects on the fact that many industries believe that they have come further than they have. This is not unique and looks the same in the forest industry.

- There are many norms and structures that prevent women from entering or staying in the industry, Agneta explains.

At the upper secondary school for agriculture in Svenljunga, they are working to make their own jargon and culture visible. One concrete example is work clothes and protective clothing that are made to fit a male body type. There are few companies that make this type of clothing for women and they are usually made of higher quality. On the other hand, it is more expensive to buy clothes adapted for women och it becomes another marker for women in a male-dominated education.

- It will be a further indication that you as a woman are different, Agneta emphasizes. "When you work on these issues, it becomes so clear that everyone must help each other. It's not just schools and education that solve the problems, nor just the big companies or the small entrepreneurs, but together we make a difference.

The aim in Svenljunga is to develop a common set of values together with both staff and pupils. This will enable methods to be developed and materials to be produced for continuous work on gender equality.

- "If we create structures to work actively on these issues, we will find it easier to benefit from and interact with the various initiatives that actually exist now and are linked to forests. Then I think we can create a positive shift, Agneta concludes.