Morning Briefing – Tuesday, July 9

The Copenhagen Post’s daily digest of what the Danish press is reporting

Government to take hard look at Facebook

The huge role that Facebook plays in Danish society needs to be examined, according to Socialdemokraterne culture spokesperson Mogens Jensen. Jensen said that he will call a meeting after parliament's summer recess to examine whether the American company’s policies live up to Danish standards of freedom of expression. He expressed particular concern over Facebook’s censorship policies. Other leaders said that the EU should get involved in regulating the social media giant. – Berlingske

Students going where jobs are

Students headed to the nation's universities are choosing more and more to study subjects that will more likely earn them a job in the private sector. Fields like biotechnology, chemistry and engineering fill up quickly, say the schools. The number of applicants seeking higher education hit record numbers this year, with over 88,000 students applying. – Jyllands-Posten

Twice as many eastern Europeans receiving child benefits

A change in EU rules doubled the number of foreigners receiving state child support (børnecheck) in just four years. According to a report by the think tank Kraka, citizens from the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia, all countries that joined the EU in 2004, are responsible for the increased number of children’s benefits being handed out since 2006. The support is often handed out even if the children do not live in Denmark. – Politiken

The single life is killing men

Single men are more likely to feel lonely and die earlier than single women. A survey conducted by TNS Gallup for Berlingske newspaper suggested that men have a greater need for the intimacy and comfort of a permanent relationship than women. Single men smoke and drink more than their married friends and, on average, die seven years sooner. Single women only live three years less than their married counterparts. – Berlingske

Greater gender equality among scientists

Danish research groups looking for funding from the EU will have to make sure that more women are involved in research and in trials. The Horizon 2020 fund includes a gender equality clause for the first time. Researchers called the development “a very clear signal” that the EU wants more women scientists included before they will dole out funds. – Information





  • How internationals can benefit from joining trade unions

    How internationals can benefit from joining trade unions

    Being part of a trade union is a long-established norm for Danes. But many internationals do not join unions – instead enduring workers’ rights violations. Find out how joining a union could benefit you, and how to go about it.

  • Internationals in Denmark rarely join a trade union

    Internationals in Denmark rarely join a trade union

    Internationals are overrepresented in the lowest-paid fields of agriculture, transport, cleaning, hotels and restaurants, and construction – industries that classically lack collective agreements. A new analysis from the Workers’ Union’s Business Council suggests that internationals rarely join trade unions – but if they did, it would generate better industry standards.

  • Novo Nordisk overtakes LEGO as the most desirable future workplace amongst university students

    Novo Nordisk overtakes LEGO as the most desirable future workplace amongst university students

    The numbers are especially striking amongst the 3,477 business and economics students polled, of whom 31 percent elected Novo Nordisk as their favorite, compared with 20 percent last year.