Why are Scandinavian women so much more active in startups and new business?

This blog is being updated live.

Why are there so many more women leaders in the taskforce in Scandinavia than in the US?

Culture. Women don't expect to be provided for.  Coming from New York, it is my experience that it is still customary for "traditionally" raised women to expect "chivalry"- a man pays for dinner, entertainment, the house and for her to stay at home and raise the kids. America has a "backwoods pioneer" mentality that idealizes "family values". If by family values you mean keeping a woman reduced to her  reproductive and housekeeping roles.  The community, moral pressure and lack of social support in the US make it a choice between children or career for most women.

When I discussed this sad state of affairs with a Swede, she commented - "hm, expecting to be paid for - isn't that the definition of whore?" Of course, in most countries, women have a lot less opportunities than men and are in fact reduced to an object. What  I find frustrating is that in the nominal democracies of the US and UK women seem to be doing it willingly.

The Social Net

Compare this to Scandinavia, where there is a lot less stigma attached to working while having chilrden, both partners get at least a year off to raise every single child, and there is a functional network of dagis-kindergardens and schools.

We are going to be updating the interviews with leading female enterpreneurs from

http://shortcut.nu/artiklar/2328/Hon-ar-Framtidens-kvinnliga-ledare-2011

"It is not dangerous to fail"

 

Female Leader Award winner Linda Jansdotter Larsson of SEB wants to break existing patterns, set new paths and question old truths.  She is doing it in very concrete actions + for example by throwing out the table from the leadership meeting room. "We were concentrating too much on reports. I wanted to stress decisionmaking and to establish understanding of our processes".