According to current scientific studies, Sweden is currently in the bottom tier of Europe in terms of protecting academic freedom, according to a recent study. The work of Swedish academic watchdog Academic Rights Watch (ARW) seems to confirm this picture.
“In a feminine culture, the average student is the norm and weak students are rewarded, in a masculine one the norm is the top student and excellence is rewarded. In feminine cultures, attempts to excel spark envy and aversion, while in masculine cultures excellence and competition are encouraged.
Olsson believes that many, perhaps most, other threats to academic freedom previously documented by ARW have their roots in the feminization of academia, which therefore stands out as the most serious threat of all.
“This concerns, for instance, the characteristic Swedish unwillingness to hold managers and others accountable when violating academic’s basic rights. This legal lacuna in turn made possible New Public Management, the introduction of corporate governance in the public authorities, including state universities, which tends to de-emphasize central values such as scholars’ right to freedom of speech.”
“Meritocratic shortcomings in academic hiring can also be partly explained by a feminine culture, according to which positions are distributed to those who are considered to need them the most or are particularly friendly and sympathetic”, says Olsson.
A society is considered masculine if gender roles are distinct: men should be dominant, tough and focused on material success, while women should be more modest, gentle, and primarily care about quality of life. In feminine societies, gender roles overlap: both men and women are modest, agreeable and primarily care about quality of life.
“In studying extensive data from 76 of the world’s most developed countries, Sweden appears to be the most feminine country in cultural terms. Then come Norway, Latvia and the Netherlands. The most masculine country is Slovakia, followed by Japan and Hungary”, says Olsson.