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 country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

Ministry of Children and Family Affairs Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian mi ...

. Since 14 October 2021,

Kjersti Toppe Kjersti Toppe (born 20 October 1967) is a Norwegian politician representing the Centre Party. She has served as minister of children and families since 2021, and an MP from Hordaland since 2009. Career Parliament Toppe was her party's top nomine ...

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 Gerhardsen's Third Cabinet was the cabinet of Norway from 22 January 1955 to 28 August 1963. The government was led by Prime Minister Einar Gerhardsen, marking his third term in said role. The cabinet was defeated in a motion of no-confidence in 1 ...

. The Labour Party's

Aase Bjerkholt Aase Ingerid Nathalie Bjerkholt (16 January 1915 – 17 August 2012) was a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. She was born in Oslo. She was consultative councillor of state for family and consumer affairs during the third cabinet Gerhar ...

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, 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 served ...

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 Solveig Sollie (born 19 April 1939) is a Norwegian politician for the Christian People's Party, who served as parliamentary representative for Telemark Telemark is a traditional region, a former county, and a current electoral district i ...

of the Christian Democratic Party. When her successor

Matz Sandman Matz Sandman (born 19 January 1948) is a Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demogr ...

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 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 ce ...

s. The position has been dominated by females—the only males to hold the position were

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