Background Document - Danish Institute for Parties and Democracy

GENDER AND
DEMOCRACY
Danish democratic transition in a gender perspective
BY JYTTE LARSEN, DENMARK
Women’s political history in Denmark is a success story. Danish women
were among the first in the world to be granted full political rights,
in 1915.
Today, almost forty per cent of the Members of Parliament are women,
and sixty per cent are men – a gender distribution matching international
standards for equality of status. Furthermore, four of the
eight parties represented in Parliament are headed by a woman.
In 1924, Denmark made political world history with the appointment
of the first female cabinet minister. Today, the cabinet has a similar
gender distribution to Parliament.
When Helle Thorning Schmidt became the first female Prime Minister
following the 2011 elections, the last male stronghold in Danish
politics fell.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jytte Larsen is a senior research consultant at KVINFO, the Danish Centre for Information on Gender,
Equality and Ethnicity. She is a historian and her research and publications focus on gender history,
feminism and equality. Over the last twenty years, Jytte Larsen has contributed extensively
with scientific articles and lectures on Danish women’s history, gender equality, feminism etc.,
especially for the Danish Labour Union and several women’s organisations. She is producing book
reviews for Danish and international gender research periodicals, and has contributed to several
lager anthologies. Her latest book ”Også andre hensyn. Dansk ligestillingspolitik 1849-1915” is the
first volume of a handbook about the history of Danish equality policies.
ABOUT THE PHOTO
Leader of the Social Democratic party, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, speaking in the Danish parliament
’Folketinget’ for the first time since winning the September 2011 election and being appointed
Prime Minister. (Photo by Martin Lehmann/Polfoto).
WOMEN IN POLITICS DANISH INSTITUTE FOR PARTIES AND DEMOCRACY PAGE 45