Letter: Gender politics

Sir: Tove Strand-Gerhardsen may no longer be Norway's Labour Minister, but she is still a woman, your reference to 'he' notwithstanding ('Norwegian shuffle', 5 September). It so happens that half her Cabinet colleagues were, too. But does it all matter?

After all, last Tuesday the Chancellor of the Exchequer, faced with the need to brief Parliament's Finance Committee on the collapse of Uni Storebrand, Norway's largest insurance company, had first to pick up his child from playschool. His wife was on a course till Wednesday.

Yours sincerely,

MICHAEL DRAKE

Institute of Social Science

University of Tromso

Tromso, Norway

9 September