Women underrepresented in Norway’s Progress Party as FrP grapples with gender balance issues

The representation of women in Norway’s parliamentary groups remains low, particularly within the Progress Party (FrP), where only two out of twenty members are women. Other parties show varying levels of female representation: the Conservative Party (H) has 17 out of 38, the Labour Party (Ap) 23 out of 48, and the Socialist Party (SV) 9 out of 16, among others.

Currently, within the FrP nominating committee in Møre og Romsdal, only one woman, party leader Sylvi Listhaug, holds a top position. Wenche Haug Almestrand from Lillehammer aims to prioritize issues like education and elder care to attract more female voters. However, she perceives a preference among her male colleagues for candidates focused on transportation.

In the other 18 voting districts, men are expected to dominate the top candidate slots. Almestrand previously lost her bid for the top spot on the FrP list in Oppland, a position currently held by Lars Rem, who topped the list this year and is a sitting deputy for Listhaug. Almestrand has been clear that she wants the number one position only, emphasizing that being a second-choice candidate does not align with her current roles as both a city developer and a county representative.

During the summer, Listhaug admitted that the party has a significant challenge attracting female voters, acknowledging that only 8% of female voters supported FrP in a recent poll.

Despite these gender-based challenges, Almestrand and other women within the party are hopeful about increasing representation, as FrP has performed well in recent polls, potentially leading to more women candidates in the upcoming elections.