Skard has been described as "an icon of Norwegian feminism."[2] She was president of the Norwegian Association for Women's Rights from 2006 to 2013, and also served as vice chair of the Forum for Women and Development during this period. She has written several books, including Continent of Mothers, Continent of Hope (2003) on African development and Women of Power (2014) on female heads of state or government worldwide.
From 1962 to 1965 Skard was married to historian, theologian and politician Berge Furre (1937–2016). In 1977 she became a cohabitant with politician Kåre Øistein Hansen (1927–2012), and they married in 1994.[3]
However, her career as a researcher was interrupted by her political career. She was originally a member of the Labour Party, but as leader of the Socialist Student Group she was excluded in 1959 together with most of the group, because they were opposed to the Labour Party's western-aligned foreign policy and Norway's NATO membership. She co-founded the Socialist People's Party in 1961. She was secretary for the party parliamentary group from 1962 to 1963,[3] and served as a deputy representative to the Parliament of Norway during the term 1965–1969. In 1971 she was elected member of Oslo city council, and from 1973 to 1977 she was a member of Parliament for the constituency Akershus. During this term she served as the President of the Lagting - Upper House and deputy chair of the Standing Committee on Justice.[5] She was delegate for Norway to the UN General Assembly (1974) and delegate for Norway to the World Conference for the International Women's Year (1975).[citation needed] She was the first woman President of the Lagting.[3]
From 1984 to 1986 Skard was Director for Questions relating to the Status of Women in UNESCO, Paris. She was then deputy under-secretary of state of the Norwegian Ministry of Development Cooperation from 1986 to 1989. When that Ministry was merged into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Skard retained her position as deputy under-secretary of state there. She was the first woman deputy under-secretary of state in both these Ministries. In 1991 she was promoted to assisting permanent under-secretary of state for development cooperation in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a position she held until 1994. From 1994 to 1998 she was Regional Director for West and Central Africa at UNICEF in Abidjan. She was Chairman of the UNICEF Executive Board at the international level from 1988 to 1989.[3] She was a special adviser at the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1999 to 2003, and a senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs until 2011. She has also lectured on Leadership, Women and the UN at the United Nations System Staff College.[5]
Unfinished Democracy - Women in Nordic Politics (co-author, Pergamon, 1985), also published in Nordic edition
Continent of Mothers, Continent of Hope: Understanding and Promoting Development in Africa Today (Zed Books, 2003), also published in Norwegian, German, French and Dutch editions
Getting Our History Right: How Were the Equal Rights of Women and Men Included in the Charter of the United Nations? Forum for Development Studies 1/2008
Gender in the Malestream - Acceptance of Gender Equality in Different United Nations Organisations, Forum for Development Studies 1/2009
Women of Power: Half a Century of Female Presidents and prime ministers Worldwide (Policy Press, 2014), originally published in Norwegian by Universitetsforlaget (2012)
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