Danish News in Brief: Gender economic inequality most noticeable in rich areas

And too often that include the weather, with the poorer south of the country getting the worst of the high winds forecast this weekend!

A new economic equality study published by Mikonomi.dk reveals the municipalities where men out-earn women the most.

According to Index 100, women on average earn 78.16 percent of what men do. That means that if a man has an income of 1 million kroner, a woman’s income is 781,600.

Most noticeable north of Copenhagen
The difference was most pronounced in municipalities where there are lots of high earners, with Hørsholm Municipality in the northern part of Greater Copenhagen topping the charts, where men on average earn almost 46 percent more than women.

At the other end of the scale, Albertslund Municipality had the most economic equality, with men only earning 15 percent more than women.


Fewer Danes getting divorced
After several years of record-breaking divorce rates, fewer Danes chose in 2018 to end their marriage. Denmark had 14,936 divorces between people of different sexes last year – down from a record high in 2014 when there were almost 4,500 more. 2018 is also the first year since 2011 where there were fewer than 15,000 divorces in Denmark. From 2006 to 2011, the number of divorces remained relatively stable at approximately 14,000, but as of 1 July 2013 it became possible to get divorced online using NemID.

Record number took early retirement pension last year
At no time since 2004 have so many people between the ages of 60 and 64 taken the early retirement pension as they did in 2018. Some 2,484 Danes took it up. Union leaders have welcomed the results saying that the early retirement system has become better at helping people who are worn-out leave the labour market in a dignified manner.

Every fourth municipality ill-equipped to handle sexual abuse of minors
A report made in the wake of the DR documentary ‘The Hidden Abuses’ reveals many municipalities are poorly prepared to handle cases involving the sexual abuse of minors. The documentary reveals that the municipalities of Albertslund and Brøndby did not adhere to current legislation when it came to helping the families of 28 children predated by paedophiles. The study also revealed that 24 of the 98 municipalities do not meet statutory requirements for emergency planning.

Weekend will be very wet and windy
There is a strong risk that the weekend will bring gales and storm-force gusts to parts of the country. Temperatures will generally range between 5 and 8 degrees. It will be particularly windy in southern Jutland, south Funen, Lolland-Falster and Bornholm. In addition, there is also a risk that the strong gusts will continue along the country’s west coast on Monday night.