Norway chided on gender equality

OSLO, Norway, May 10 (UPI) -- Three officials involved with women's rights have asked Norway to integrate the U.N. Convention on gender discrimination into its laws.

Anne Lise Ryel, who served as Commissioner for Equal Status from 1994 to 2000, said in a letter to Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg that, while Norway prides itself on its human rights record, many of its laws discriminate against women, Aftenposten reported. The letter was signed by two of Ryel's successors.

Beate Gangas, the current commissioner, said women still do not get equal protection on pensions or compensation for work-related injuries because the laws tend to assume a mostly male workforce. For example, she said a nurse whose back is injured by years of heavy lifting is likely to get less compensation than a painter who suffers a similar injury by falling off a ladder.

A law that allows sperm donation while banning egg donation is also discriminatory, she said.