Stockholm launches podcast to help businesses fight gender discrimination

Europe has a discrimination problem, according to a recent report by investment firm Atomico. Of all funds raised by European VC-backed companies in 2018, 93 percent went to all-male founding teams. And almost half of the women in Europe’s tech sector said they had experienced discrimination. Ahead of the game when it comes to addressing gender discrimination, Stockholm is now launching season two of its podcast A Woman’s Place, with the ambition to help companies improve their diversity strategy. 

The new season will feature Stockholm's leading experts on gender equality in the workplace. The A Woman’s Place podcast is part of the gender equality initiative A Woman’s Place launched by Invest Stockholm on International Women's Day in March last year. More than 100 of Stockholm's best-known businesses have already joined the initiative, thereby publicly declaring their commitment to improving gender equality.

This season's instructive podcast is a new addition to the A Woman’s Place Equality Toolbox, which already includes seminars, articles, gender equality principles and a listing of experts within the field of gender equality. These can all to be found at the website awomans.place.

"According to the Economist, Sweden is the best country in the world for working women, but Atomico's report clearly indicates that further improvements can be made in the fight against gender discrimination. Since we launched A Woman's Place last year, we have offered gender equality seminars on the most pressing topics. Now, we want to make the content from these seminars available for everyone. This is why we asked The Local to package them into an instructive podcast series," says Erik Krüger, Acting CEO of Invest Stockholm.

In the first season of the A Woman's Place podcast, which is available on Spotify, Acast and iTunes, listeners got to meet with inspiring women in Stockholm who have found a city where they can fulfil their professional ambitions, regardless of gender. The new season of the podcast will offer a more educational format. 

"The second season of this podcast shows just what makes Stockholm a world leader in gender equality. We meet with some of the city's leading experts in gender equality to discuss topics like bringing a gender equality policy to life, recruiting with greater diversity and how to increase female representation in leadership. It's much more instructive than the first season and proves that Stockholm businesses don't just talk the talk when it comes to gender equality, they walk the walk. And companies around the world can follow in their footsteps," says Sophie Miskiw, commercial editor and podcast host at The Local.

The first episode of season two of A Woman's Place can be found on Spotify, iTunes, and Acast from January 10.

Episode calendar:
10 January: How to increase female representation in leadership teams
22 January: How to bring a gender equality policy to life
5 February: How to measure equality
19 February: How to recruit with greater diversity
5 March: How to develop inclusive and norm-creative external communication

For more information, please contact:
Marie Sundström, PR and Marketing Manager, Invest Stockholm, marie.e.sundstrom@stockholm.se 
Sophie Miskiw, Commercial Editor, The Local, sophie.miskiw@thelocal.com

A Woman's Place Podcast:
Gender equality is a cornerstone of Swedish society and nowhere is this better illustrated than in Stockholm. In the second season of A Woman's Place, you'll meet the city's leading experts in gender equality in the workplace and learn practical tips to make your business more diverse and inclusive. In the first season, you'll be introduced to eleven inspiring women who have found a city where they can fulfil their professional ambitions, where their voices are heard and where their gender is not a disadvantage. This podcast series is produced by The Local in partnership with Invest Stockholm.

A Woman's Place - the initiative
A Woman's Place is an initiative by Invest Stockholm to support equal opportunities for women and men. The initiative is based on the five principles of A Woman's Place, contributing to a society where everyone is safe from gender discrimination and free to flourish. The website awomans.place serves as a toolbox for companies that want to find inspiration and practical assistance in their gender equality work. Learn about the principles, read articles, listen to the podcast and find gender equality experts at www.awomans.place. 

About Invest Stockholm
Invest Stockholm is the official investment promotion agency of Stockholm. We work with the marketing and development of the Stockholm region as a business destination under the brand Stockholm – The Capital of Scandinavia. Invest Stockholm is a subsidiary of Stockholm Business Region, owned by the city of Stockholm.
www.investstockholm.com