The Minister of Children and Families ( no, Barne- og familieministeren, se, mánáid- ja bearašministtar) is a

Councilor of State A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ‘ prime minister� ...

and Chief of

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of ...

's Ministry of Children and Family Affairs. Since 14 October 2021, Kjersti Toppe has held the position. The ministry is responsible for policy and public operations related to children, youth and families as well as consumer rights. Major agencies subordinate to the ministry include the

Consumer Council A consumer is a person or a group who intends to order, or uses purchased goods, products, or services primarily for personal, social, family, household and similar needs, who is not directly related to entrepreneurial or business activities. T ...

and the Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs. The position was created as the Minister of Families and Consumer Affairs on 1 August 1955 as part of Gerhardsen's Third Cabinet. The Labour Party's Aase Bjerkholt as the inaugural minister. While at first a consultative minister, she received her own ministry on 21 December 1956. Sixteen people from four parties have held the position. It has been a favored position of the

Christian Democratic Party __NOTOC__ Christian democratic parties are political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social tea ...

, who have held it in all center-right governments they have participated in except during the four weeks of

Lyng's Cabinet The Lyng Cabinet governed Norway between 28 August 1963 and 25 September 1963. It was the first in 28 years not to be led by the Norwegian Labour Party. It was a centre-right coalition government of the Conservative Party, Centre Party, Chri ...

, when it was held by

Karen Grønn-Hagen Karen Grønn-Hagen (27 November 1903 – 19 December 1982) was a Norwegian politician for the Centre Party. She was born in Tynset. She was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Hedmark in 1961. From August to September 1963 she serv ...

of the Centre Party. The minister position was discontinued on 8 May 1972, when the portfolio was transferred to the Minister of Consumer Affairs and Government Administration. The position was recreated under the original name on 16 October 1989 and occupied by Solveig Sollie of the Christian Democratic Party. When her successor Matz Sandman of the Labour Party took over the following year, it was renamed the Minister of Children and Family Affairs. With the appointment of

Karita Bekkemellem Karita Bekkemellem (born 15 January 1965 in Lillehammer) is a Norwegian politician. She belongs to the Norwegian Labour Party, where she leads the women's network. Karita Bekkemellem was the Minister of Children and Families in Jens Stoltenber ...

(Labour) in 2005, the position changed name the Minister of Children and Equality, receiving responsibility for the government's

anti-discrimination Discrimination is the act of making unjustified distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong. People may be discriminated on the basis of race, gender, age, relig ...

policies. She would be the first of six ministers during Stoltenberg's Second Cabinet, with the three last representing the Socialist Left Party. With these the position changed to its current name, but lost its responsibilities for

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

s. The position has been dominated by females—the only males to hold the position were Matz Sandman (Labour, 1990–91),

Audun Lysbakken Audun Bjørlo Lysbakken (born 30 September 1977) is a Norwegian politician and the current leader of the Norwegian Socialist Left Party. His career in national politics began when he was elected to the Norwegian parliament in 2001. In 2006, he b ...

(Socialist Left, 2009–12) and

Kjell Ingolf Ropstad Kjell Ingolf Ropstad (born 1 June 1985) is a Norwegian politician for the Christian Democratic Party, who served as the Minister of Children, Family and Church Affairs and the leader of the Christian Democratic Party from 2019 to 2021. He has bee ...

(Christian Democratic, 2019–21). Manuela Ramin-Osmundsen (Labour) became the first non-white minister of Norway when she was appointed in 2007. Both she and Lysbakken were forced to resign after issues related to

cronyism Cronyism is the spoils system practice of Impartiality, partiality in awarding jobs and other advantages to friends or trusted colleagues, especially in politics and between politicians and supportive organizations. For example, cronyism occurs ...

. Two people have held the position twice: Bjerkholdt and

. With a tenure of ten years, Bjerkholdt has held the position the longest.

Key

The following lists the minister, their party, date of assuming and leaving office, their tenure in years and days, and the cabinet they served in.

Ministers

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Minister Of Children And Parity (Norway)

Children A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...

Ministers for children, young people and families 1955 establishments in Norway