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During the last decade women in Sweden have reduced men's lead in participation in mathematics education and in professional careers as mathematicians. However, the development is uneven and slow overall. In some areas and at the highest levels women have increased their participation only marginally. Why, one may ask, is progress so slow after almost 20 years of active work from the Women and Mathematics movement in Sweden and within a society in which gender equity is highly valued at the societal and political levels? The development is described in quantitative measures going back 20 years. Several concrete and successful initiatives from the last decade intended to ''de-gender'' mathematics and to involve women and men alike in mathematics are described. In contrast a gender-blind position or a view of women as problems in mathematics seems to reign within some influential bodies.

The process of starting a new program in computer science and engineering, heavily based on applied mathematics and only open to women, is described in this paper.The program was introduced into an educational system without any tradition in single-sex education. Important observations made during the process included the considerable interest in mathematics and curiosity about computer science found among female students at the secondary school level, and the acceptance of the single-sex program by the staff, administration, and management of the university as well as among male and female students. The process described highlights the importance of preparing the environment for a totally new type of educational program.