Data from the Swedish Forest Owner Register of 1993 and Statistics Sweden's special studies in connection with the 1976 and 1992 Census of Agriculture have been used to describe Swedish non‐industrial private forest (NIPF) ownership structure in terms of gender. On a national level, results show that more than one‐third of all owners are women, and that there are clear regional differences. The last years have seen an increase in female share of NIPF ownership. Compared with males, females combine forestry and farming less often. Female‐owned estates are smaller, and more often partner owned. Finally female owners are somewhat younger. Data from the National Board of Forestry's interview inquiry 1994 indicate that there is less forestry activity on holdings with female respondents than male respondents.