On June 5, 1915, Danish women were granted the right to vote. This marked a milestone in the history of democracy in Denmark. 110 years later, women and men formally have the same political rights. However, differences still exist in the labor market and in the economy. According to Danmarks Statistik women earn on average 13-15 percent less than men, even when adjusted for education and working hours. Women are overrepresented in care and service professions, while men dominate in the highest-paid industries and in management positions.
110 years of voting rights – where does equality stand today?
We have brought together four women to discuss equality - or the lack thereof - 110 years after women gained the right to vote. They all have one thing in common: they have completed one of CBS's Executive Education programmes, but apart from that, they each represent four different industries and four different perspectives.
by CBS Executive Education
“As a young woman, I wasn’t always taken seriously. What we did could be called ‘cute.’ That made it harder to convey the serious and important work we were doing.”
Anna Bjerre
GirlTalk
Anna Bjerre, CEO GirlTalk, Alumni from Master of Business Development
Anna works with girls and young women on a daily basis and sees how gender shapes their living conditions. She recognizes the pattern from her own work and private life:
“For me, gender has always played a role – because we at GirlTalk work with girls and young women, and because I see every day how their living conditions are shaped by gender-specific expectations and a particular cross-pressure.”
Anna Bjerre’s heart beats for the new generation of young women, whom she fights for every day. And it is her hope that they will encounter a labor market where we as a society are better at working across sectors and professions. In other words, there is a need for a labor market where “we dare to think more long-term and less reactionary, especially when it comes to young people’s well-being and mental health.”
“And I hope we can insist more on equality – not necessarily equality in everything, but respect and recognition of different contributions. There is still an inequality in the valuation of what has traditionally been “women’s work”, and we still have to achieve true equality in both pay, expectations and opportunities.”
She points out that gender is often a silent factor in working life – but a factor that cannot be ignored:
“110 years after the right to vote, we still lack the right to be met as equals – no matter what tasks we solve or which path we choose. Much of the work women do is still invisible or undervalued.”
“We have made the professions we actually need many of unattractive. Previously female professions are rewarded with low pay, high emotional demands and no flexibility.”
Stine Kart Skytte
Roskilde Kommune
Stine Kart Skytte, Area Manager in Roskilde Kommune, Alumni from Master of Public Governance
According to Stine gender equality is an area that is developing noticeably slower than other political agendas:
"We have had rapid development within digitalisation and climate action – but the gender equality area is still characterized by bias. I hope the next generation can create the real gender equality that we ourselves have not managed to achieve."
She highlights how society continues to value professions differently:
"We have made the professional groups that we actually need many of unattractive. Formerly female professions are rewarded with low pay, high emotional demands and no flexibility."
In recent decades, the health and care sector has been the center of discussions about pay and working conditions. Despite the Equal Pay Act from 1976, statistics show that the difference between female- and male-dominated professions still exists.
And one thing is the quantitative aspects of gender equality in the labor market, which are easy to measure and spot. Something else is the more subtle and more invisible parameters, where men and women are assessed differently according to Stine Kart Skytte.
“I experience inappropriate attention to how women look and dress in working life. The female body is not free in the same way as the male body. If a male colleague comes to work with stubble and morning hair, it rarely interests anyone. If a female colleague comes to work with long hair under her arms and without a bra under her T-shirt, many typically have an opinion about it.”
In the study Double standards in the accumulation and utilisation of ‘aesthetic capital’ from Turku University (Finland), Stine Kart Skytte supports the claim that double standards exist in relation to the physical appearance of men and women. While men's natural appearance is assessed neutrally, women's natural appearance, such as hair under their arms and no make-up, is assessed negatively.
“I hope to become someone who not only inspires others to focus on development and collaboration towards common goals, but also creates a work environment where authenticity and individual strength are valued.”
Mille Herskind
Novo Nordisk
Mille Herskind, Sustainability Partner at Novo Nordisk, Alumni from HD2 Organisation and Leadership
Mille describes a working life where gender has not been a barrier – but where it has still required a conscious effort to navigate:
"I have not experienced that my gender has hindered me. On the contrary, my personality and ability to clearly communicate my ambitions have opened doors."
She emphasizes the importance of creating a culture where authenticity and individuality are valued:
"I always want to be myself at work and bring my own personality into my interactions and decisions. I hope to become a person who not only inspires others to focus on development and collaboration towards common goals, but also creates a work environment where authenticity and individual strength are valued."
But even though she does not experience gender as an obstacle, she still sees the need for change:
"We still lack full equality in the opportunity to live out our ambitions without obstacles. But the biggest step is to articulate the opportunities we also experience, so that others are motivated to seek and create their own opportunities."
“Now I am exactly who I am – and I also play my woman card.”
Tabita Falk Thorsen
KommuneKredit
Tabita Falk Thorsen, Vice President of KommuneKredit, Alumni from HD2 Finance
In more male-dominated industries, the differences are more directly visible. Tabita clearly remembers a job interview where she was asked when she expected to have children – a question men rarely encounter.
She also talks about how she initially adapted to the industry's norms:
"In my younger days, I thought a lot about proper dress, such as a suit and updo. But fortunately, over time, I've become wiser. Now I'm exactly who I am – and I also play my woman card."
She supports diversity in boards and management, but is skeptical of symbolic politics:
"I don't want to be elected because I'm a woman and because it looks best in the company's CSR report. I want to be elected because I'm the best."
An unfinished chapter
Since the right to vote was introduced, significant progress has been made: Denmark had its first female minister in 1924, its first female prime minister in 2011, and today women make up almost half of the Danish parliament. More women than men are pursuing higher education, and diversity is increasingly on the business agenda. But in the labor market, there is much evidence that inequality persists:
- Female-dominated professions are lower paid. Oxfam Danmark documents that people in female-dominated professions in Denmark typically lose around DKK 2.6 million in net earnings over the course of a working life compared to people in male-dominated professions.
- Maternity leave and part-time work affect women's income and career paths. A Survey from Dansk Industri (DI) shows that two years after the birth of their first child, only 49% of women are still in full-time work compared to 83% of men.
- Gender bias in careers and work tasks. DJØF documents, that women are often assigned to “necessary” but not prestigious tasks, leading to lower pay and less chance of promotion.
So it seems that after more than 110 years of fighting for equality, there is still a cause worth fighting for. Or as Anna Bjerre puts it when she has to put into words her gratitude to previous generations:
“You may not have seen the results of what you fought for yourself – but it made a difference. Today we stand on the shoulders of the steps you took back then – and we still have more steps to take.”
110 years after the right to vote, the challenge is therefore no longer the question of political rights, but how economic and employment equality can be put into practice.
Anna Bjerre, CEO GirlTalk
I have never felt “strong” in the classic sense – but I try to be persistent, competent and true to my purpose. And I find strength in the fact that we are a team – it is a team sport to build something meaningful.
Stine Kart Skytte, Area Manager Roskilde Kommune
If we are to future-proof our society, drastic decisions must be made that create better incentives for young people to choose a profession where interpersonal care is more important than publicity, profit, and power.
Mille Herskind, Sustainability Partner Novo Nordisk
To the generations before her: "Your courage to fight for equality has opened doors for many subsequent generations, not least for me in my own career"
Tabita Falk Thorsen, Vice President KommuneKredit
Men and women contribute something different – and it is precisely these different angles that make a team strong. For example, I believe that there would be less war in the world if there were more female leaders.
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