2005-03-10

IKEA's Quandary

Reality trumps satire.
OSLO, Norway (Reuters) - Swedish home furnishings giant IKEA is guilty of sex discrimination by showing only men putting together furniture in its instruction manuals, Norway's prime minister says.

IKEA, which has more than 200 stores in 32 nations, fears it might offend Muslims by depicting women assembling everything from cupboards to beds. Its manuals show only men or cartoon figures whose sex is unclear. ...

Read the whole article here. And take a moment to reflect on the wisdom of Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik's words.