Unequal pay in Denmark: The impact of an outdated law

Nordics.info has co-published an article on historic unequal pay in Denmark with ), a non-profit network publishing news and views sourced from the academic and research community.  During the pandemic, focus on the work of nurses and other staff in the medical and caring professions has come to the fore in a number of countries. This has led to wider public debates on salary levels and particularly wage disparities. 

In Denmark, nurses still receive 10-20% less in pay than male-dominated professions requiring a similar level of education. There are many contributing factors to unequal pay, but a recent report from the Danish Institute for Human Rights found that one key reason is the effect of the 1969 Public Servant Reform Act which saw nurses and other female-dominated professions placed at a lower pay level. In recent national negotiations, Danish nurses voted ‘no’ to a pay offer of up to 5% which was set to preserve real wages for public workers over the next three years. A citizens' petition to reform the law in respect of many traditionally female professions has also received the requisite 50,000 signatures for it to make it to parliament.

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