Men and Women in Norwegian Governments 1945 -
Article | Last updated: 23/01/2024
The first Norwegian government with a female member, was Einar Gerhardsen’s coalition government 25 June-5 November 1945. Mrs. Kirsten Hansteen (1903-1974) represented the Communist Party and was consultative minister in the Ministry of Social Affairs.
Since then, the development has been:
Gerhardsen I 1945 | Members 15 |
Men 14 |
Women 1 |
Percentage of women 7 |
Gerhardsen II 1945-1951 - 05.11.1945 - 11.11.1951 - 19.11.1951 |
Members 14 13 13 |
Men 13 12 12 |
Women 1 1 1 |
Percentage of women 7 8 8 |
Torp 1951-1955 | Members 13 |
Men 12 |
Women 1 |
Percentage of women 8 |
Gerhardsen III 1955-1963 - 22.01.1955 - 01.08.1955 - 28.08.1963 |
Members 13 15 15 |
Men 12 14 14 |
Women 1 1 1 |
Percentage of women 8 7 7 |
Lyng 1963 | Members 15 |
Men 14 |
Women 1 |
Percentage of women 7 |
Gerhardsen IV 1963-1965 | Members 15 |
Men 14 |
Women 1 |
Percentage of women 7 |
Borten 1965-1971 - 12.10.1965 - 03.10.1970 - 17.03.1971 |
Members 15 15 15 |
Men 13 14 14 |
Women 2 1 1 |
Percentage of women 13 7 7 |
Bratteli I 1971-1972 | Members 15 |
Men 14 |
Women 1 |
Percentage of women 7 |
Korvald 1972-1973 - 18.10.1972 - 05.03.1973 - 16.10.1973 |
Members 15 15 15 |
Men 13 12 12 |
Women 2 3 3 |
Percentage of women 13 20 20 |
Bratteli II 1973-1976 - 16.10.1973 - 27.09.1974 - 15.01.1976 |
Members 15 16 16 |
Men 12 13 13 |
Women 3 3 3 |
Percentage of women 20 19 19 |
Nordli 1976-1981 - 15.01.1976 - 08.10.1979 - 04.02.1981 |
Members 17 17 17 |
Men 13 15 15 |
Women 4 2 2 |
Percentage of women 24 12 12 |
Brundtland I 1981 | Members 17 |
Men 13 |
Women 4 |
Percentage of women 24 |
Willoch 1981-1986 - 14.10.1981 - 17.06.1983 - 09.05.1986 |
Members 17 18 18 |
Men |
Women 4 4 4 |
Percentage of women 24 22 22 |
Brundtland II 1986-1989 - 09.05.1986 - 10.10.1989 - 16.10.1989 |
Members 18 17 17 |
Men 10 9 9 |
Women 8 8 8 |
Percentage of women 44 47 47 |
Syse 1989-1990 - 16.10.1989 - 02.11.1989 - 03.11.1990 |
Members 18 19 19 |
Men |
Women 7 8 8 |
Percentage of women 39 42 42 |
Brundtland III 1990-1996 - 03.11.1989 - 04.09.1992 - 07.10.1993 - 24.01.1994 - 25.10.1996 |
Members 19 19 19 19 19 |
Men 10 11 12 11 11 |
Women 9 8 7 8 8 |
Percentage of women 47 42 37 42 42 |
Jagland 1996-1997 | Members 19 |
Men 11 |
Women 8 |
Percentage of women 42 |
Bondevik I 1997-2000 - 17.10.1997 - 16.03.1999 - 17.03.2000 |
Members 19 19 19 |
Men 10 11 11 |
Women 9 8 8 |
Percentage of women 47 42 42 |
Stoltenberg I 2000-2001 | Members 19 |
Men 11 |
Women 8 |
Percentage of women 42 |
Bondevik II 2001-2005 | Members 19 |
Men 11 |
Women 8 |
Percentage of women 42 |
Stoltenberg II 2005-2013 - 17.10.2005 - 21.09.2007 - 18.10.2007 - 20.10.2009 - 05.03.2012 - 23.03.2012 |
Members 19 19 19 20 19 20 |
Men 10 9 10 10 9 10 |
Women 9 10 9 10 10 10 |
Percentage of women 47 53 47 50 53 50 |
Solberg 2013-2021 - 16.10.2013 - 20.10.2017 - 20.03.2018 - 28.06.2021 |
Members 18 19 19 20 |
Men 9 9 10 12 |
Women 9 9 9 8 |
Percentage of women 50 50 47 45 |
Støre 2021 - - 14.10.2022 - 12.04.2022 - 16.10.2023 - 23.01.2024 |
19 19 20 20 |
9 10 10 11 |
10 9 10 9 |
53 47 50 45 |
1945: 7 per cent women
The first Norwegian government with a female member, was Einar Gerhardsen’s coalition government 25 June-5 November 1945. Mrs. Kirsten Hansteen (1903-1974) represented the Communist Party and was consultative minister in the Ministry of Social Affairs. The number of government members was 15, and the percentage of women was thus 7.
For the next 20 years the number of female ministers remained unchanged. The percentage of women varied between 7 and 8, depending on the total number of government members.
1965: 13 per cent women
On 12 October 1965 Per Borten’s non-socialist coalition government was appointed with two female ministers. The number of government members was 15, and the percentage of women rose to 13.
On 3 October 1970 the number of female ministers in Borten’s government sank to one, and the percentage of women to 7. Trygve Bratteli’s first Labour government 1971-1972 kept these numbers unchanged.
1973: 20 per cent women
On 5 March 1973 Lars Korvald’s non-socialist coalition government increased the number of female ministers to three, which lifted the percentage of women to 20.
Bratteli’s second Labour government 1973-1976 kept the number of women at three, but the percentage sank to 19 as the number of government members rose to 16 in September 1974.
1976: 24 per cent women
On 15 January 1976 Odvar Nordli’s Labour government lifted the number of female ministers to four. The government now had 17 members, and the percentage of women rose to 24.
On 8 October 1979 Nordli reduced the number of female ministers to two, and the percentage of women to 12. On 4 February Gro Harlem Brundtland’s first Labour government again lifted the number of female members to four and the percentage to 24.
Kåre Willoch’s non-socialist government 1981-1986 kept the level of four female ministers. As the number of government members increased to 18 when the government became a coalition in June 1983, the percentage of women sank to 22.
1986: 44 per cent women
On 9 May 1986 Gro Harlem Brundtland’s second Labour government doubled the number of female members from four to eight. This lifted the percentage of women to 44.
The last week before resigning on 16 October 1989, Brundtland’s second government had 47 per cent women, as the number of government members was reduced to 17.
Jan P. Syse’s non-socialist coalition government 1989-1990 kept, except during its two first weeks, the level of eight female ministers. As the number of government members was increased to 19, the percentage of women sank to 42.
1990: 47 per cent women
On 3 November 1990 Brundtland’s third Labour government was appointed with 9 women of a total of 19 members. This lifted the percentage of women to 47.
On 4 September 1992 the number of women in Brundtland’s third government sank to eight, which reduced the percentage of women to 42. In a shorter period between October 1993 and January 1994 the government had only seven female members; a percentage of women of 37. The number of women was then once more lifted to eight, giving a percentage of women of 42 for the rest of this government’s period until October 1996.
Over the next decade the number of female ministers in general remained eight and the percentage of women 42. Exceptions were the first five months of Kjell Magne Bondevik’s first non-socialist government 1997-2000, and the first two years of Jens Stoltenberg’s centre-left coalition government from 2005, where the number of women was nine and the percentage of women 47.
2007: 53 per cent women
After changes on 21 September 2007, Stoltenberg’s coalition government became the first in Norway to have more female than male ministers, with ten women and nine men giving a percentage of women of 53. New changes on 18 October 2007 reduced the number of women to nine and the percentage to 47.
2009: 50 per cent women
Changes on 20 October 2009 increased the number of members in Stoltenberg’s coalition government to 20. The number of women again rose to ten, and thus the percentage to 50. This percentage remained unaltered at the shift between Stoltenberg's Second Government and Erna Solberg's Government on 16 October 2013: of 18 government members, 9 were women and 9 men.