Men from Central and Southern Europe like the fact that the father’s quota is already negotiated and indisputable.

State feminism. Gender quotas. Women’s research. Nobody can say that political scientist and gender equality strategist Helga Hernes (77) hasn’t left any traces behind.

Notwithstanding the welfare state, employed mothers in Scandinavia experience just as much conflict between work and family life as mothers in Southern Europe, but the Scandinavian mothers are happier.

Women in Southern Europe wish they could live under a Nordic-style welfare state so they could improve their lives as women. But the financial crisis has made their dreams less realistic than ever. This is according to John Eriksen, a researcher at the Norwegian Social Research Institute and the co-editor of a new book on women’s lives in Europe.

Parents with minority background are perceived as second-rate parents compared to the Child Welfare Service's ideals regarding Norwegian gender equality.

The Norwegian birth rate is higher than in the rest of Europe not only because they put their faith in the welfare state. They can’t imagine a good life without children.

If mummy is an addict or suffers from psychological dysfunctions, the Norwegian Child Welfare Service takes extensive measures. If daddy has similar problems, he is asked to leave his family.