Denmark: Women in the Army Facing Harassment
By Emma Roquel. Originally published by on 4 February 2023 by the Institut du Genre en Geopolitique. Translated by Aurore Girardin-Boisvert
Whether at the European or World level, Denmark is part of the best-placed countries regarding women’s rights, especially occupationally and financially speaking[1]. Nevertheless, though innovative on the subject of women’s rights, Denmark is facing many deviant sexists and/or macho behaviours against women[2] because of a culture of consensus well established in Danish society. A great number of harassment and sexual abuse cases have come to light recently in its Army[3]. How do these cases of harassment within the Danish army raise the drifts of the culture of consensus?
The Danish army, a hostile world for women facing harassment
For some years, the number of female recruits has significantly increased in the Danish army; women represented 2,6% of conscripts in 2004, 6,2% in 2012 and 9,2% in 2022[4]. Moreover, more than one application out of four for military service was female in 2021, within the three-army corps combined (land force, navy and air force)[5]. The same year, the female application for officer training represented up to 25% of applications[6].
However, the Armed forces are struggling to have those newly recruited women stay in their ranks. They are indeed gradually leaving the forces because of the harassment they experience[7] because of their gender, still considered the “weaker sex”. Kvindelige Veteraner, a Danish association created in 2017 for the defence and protection of the well-being of military women, has identified more than 200 reports of sexism, sexual abuse and offensive behaviour since its creation[8]. Some of those testimonies, each more alarming than the last, alert on the urgency of the situation. Marie Sihm, the founder of this association, appeals to the Danish authorities by stating that “when female soldiers sleep with a knife under their pillow in the barracks, it is a sign they are afraid to be sexually assaulted[9] [loose translation]”.
In addition, regarding some of its employees’ pregnancies, the Danish army has not established any policy nor issued recommendations about those military pregnant women to ensure good and healthy working conditions as stipulated in the Danish Labour Law[10]. As a result, these women put their unborn child’s and their own health at risk to reconcile the requirements of a soldier with those of an expectant mother[11]. Because of the prejudices they endure based on perceived gender boundaries, female soldiers prefer to keep their jobs without enjoying the “benefits” of their pregnancy[12]. Indeed, the Centre for the Working Environment of the Danish Armed Forces has recently recommended the development of pregnancy policies[13] in order to draw up a list of missions that a pregnant female soldier cannot fulfil to protect her baby’s and her own well-being.
These issues of harassment and sexual abuse in particular are accentuated by a military culture with deeply rooted patriarchal traditions[14]. Unsurprisingly, the Armed Forces are still a very masculine environment, in which female voices are hardly perceptible. The 500 years old Danish Army only officially opened its doors to women in 1962[15], which might be an explanation for the strong presence of stigma towards them. Though the hierarchy does not encourage such behaviour, it also does not react to contain cases of harassment and/or sexual abuse of female soldiers notably by introducing strict sanctions[16].
Besides, the roles and identities of women within the Armed Forces sorely lack visibility and inclusiveness[17]. For instance, the weak flexibility of the jobs and the absence of female representation in senior positions in the army are barriers to professional equality for female soldiers[18]. The evolution of Danish customs towards a more diverse, tolerant and inclusive army for women is slow and difficult, and in no way made easier by the culture of consensus within society. Few specific training and/or awareness-raising campaigns against harassment and sexual violence have been set up for the time being.
A typical Danish “culture of consensus” leading to sexist abuse
According to sociologist Siri Jonina Eged, Danish women tend to prioritize the culture of consensus over that of offence. For fear of making waves, the Danish women trivialize and internalize abnormal sexist and/or macho behaviours. By equating feminism to extremism, because it a fortiori induces strong positions regarding women’s rights, Denmark is one of the less feminist developed countries[19]. Karen Ellemann, the former Minister for Equal Opportunity, claimed she did not consider herself a feminist when nominated in 2015[20]. In 2019, only one out of six Danes claimed themselves feminists, with only 25% of Danish women[21]. As a consequence, that same year, only 4% of men and 8% of women had a positive image of the Me Too movement, which was disapproved by one out of five Danes[22].
This consensual society then leads to serious excesses, in which the Danish women justify daily actions deemed “well-intentioned”; which in some cases means they tolerate sexual harassment. In 2019 for instance, one-third of the Danish women considered it acceptable to be whistled in the street[23]. Moreover, according to the 2020 Everyday Sexism Project Denmark report, 52% of Danish women had already experienced physical and/or sexual abuse by one of their partners; the European Union average being 33%. It also showed that fewer and fewer Danish women are filing a complaint for domestic violence in intimate relationships[24]. In reality, the issue of sexism remains the subject of resistance by society in Denmark[25].
Furthermore, the consensus culture ruling Danish society is slowing and undermining the country’s efforts to achieve perfect equality between men and women. The 2021 Global Gender Gap Report of the World Economic Forum ranked Denmark 29th out of 258 nations for gender equality, whereas it was 14th in 2020[26]. The unprecedented decline for Denmark was justified by the impact of the pandemic on various areas such as childcare and the distribution of household tasks which were unequally distributed between women and men and contributed to widening the gap between the two genders[27].
Denmark, a two-speed country on the subject of feminism
Legally speaking, Denmark is one of the most advanced countries regarding gender equality. In 2020, the Danish government noticeably recognized that sexual intercourses without consent were rape and it became the 10th European country to pass this into law[28]. Nevertheless, from the societal perspective, the evolution of the customs and mentalities of the Danes is necessary to stop the trivialization of sexist and macho acts that the culture of consensus tends to promote.
This dichotomy constitutes the real Danish paradox and can be explained essentially by the fear of offence. In Denmark, the general idea is that in order to live harmoniously, there must be a consensus among individuals, regardless of religion, gender or sexual orientation. This is why it is more than crucial to deconstruct the postulate assimilating feminism to extremism, in order to hope for a radical change of morals within the Danish society and thus achieve better gender equality.
To quote this article: Emma Roquel (2023). Denmark: Women in the Army Facing Harassment. Gender in Geopolitics Institute. igg-geo.org/?p=13437&lang=en
The statements in this article are the sole responsibility of the author.
References
References↑1, ↑27Gender Equality Index. (2022). Denmark. https://eige.europa.eu/gender-equality-index/2022/DK↑2United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. (February 2021). The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women is examining the Danish report. https://www.ohchr.org/fr/2021/02/committee-elimination-discrimination-against-women-considers-report-denmark↑3ALLAGUI, S. (Décembre 2022). In the Danish army, women face the issue of harassment. Figaro International. https://www.lefigaro.fr/international/dans-l-armee-danoise-les-femmes-face-a-la-question-du-harcelement-20221221↑4, ↑5, ↑6ALLAGUI, S. (Août 2022). The Danish military women revolt against sexism and sexual abuse: “Being a woman has put me in a vulnerable position from the beginning”. La Libre. https://www.lalibre.be/international/europe/2022/08/09/les-militaires-danoises-se-revoltent-contre-le-sexisme-et-les-abus-sexuels-le-fait-que-je-sois-femme-ma-mise-dans-une-position-vulnerable-des-le-debut-XV6AZ6BVTVD73HD3CA2MMNVK54/↑7ALLAGUI, S. (Décembre 2022). In the Danish army, women face the issue of harassment. Figaro International. https://www.lefigaro.fr/international/dans-l-armee-danoise-les-femmes-face-a-la-question-du-harcelement-20221221↑8Women Veterans. (2020). Offensive Gender Behaviour in the Military: Examining How Leaders Manage Anti-Violence Initiatives and Create a Tone of Respectful Engagement. https://kvindeligeveteraner-dk.translate.goog/2022/10/13/koenskraenkende-adfaerd-i-haeren-en-undersoegelse-af-hvordan-ledere-ppererer-med-initiativer-mod-kraenkelser-og-skaber-en-respektfuld-omgangstone/?_x_tr_sl=da&_x_tr_tl=fr&_x_tr_hl=fr&_x_tr_pto=sc↑9« Quand des soldates dorment avec un couteau sous l’oreiller dans les casernes, c’est un signe qu’elles craignent d’être sexuellement agressées ». Women Veterans. (2020). Offensive Gender Behaviour in the Military: Examining How Leaders Manage Anti-Violence Initiatives and Create a Tone of Respectful Engagement. https://kvindeligeveteraner-dk.translate.goog/2022/10/13/koenskraenkende-adfaerd-i-haeren-en-undersoegelse-af-hvordan-ledere-ppererer-med-initiativer-mod-kraenkelser-og-skaber-en-respektfuld-omgangstone/?_x_tr_sl=da&_x_tr_tl=fr&_x_tr_hl=fr&_x_tr_pto=sc↑10, ↑11, ↑12, ↑13SWAP, C. (2022). Juggling the risks: towards a safe and inclusive work environment for pregnant Danish soldiers. Women Veterans. https://sjms-nu.translate.goog/articles/10.31374/sjms.102/?_x_tr_sl=da&_x_tr_tl=fr&_x_tr_hl=fr&_x_tr_pto=sc↑14, ↑15, ↑16, ↑17Women Veterans. (2021). Woman, know your own defense. https://kvindeligeveteraner-dk.translate.goog/2022/11/14/kvinde-kend-dit-forsvar-2021/?_x_tr_sl=da&_x_tr_tl=fr&_x_tr_hl=fr&_x_tr_pto=sc↑18Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. (June 2016). Women in the armed forces: promoting equality, ending gender-based violence. Commission on Equality and Non-Discrimination. https://assembly.coe.int/nw/xml/XRef/Xref-XML2HTML-FR.asp?fileid=22789&lang=FR↑19, ↑20, ↑21, ↑22, ↑23ZAIZOUNE, S. (Mai 2019). Denmark, a country of equality… but not of feminism!. Madame Figaro. https://madame.lefigaro.fr/societe/le-danemark-pays-de-legalite-mais-pas-du-feminisme-130519-165071↑24, ↑25MANTEUFEL, I. (2015). Sexism on the front page in Denmark. Women Alliance. https://www.womenalliance.org/fr/le-sexisme-a-la-une-au-danemark/↑26EIMIEHO, S. (Avril 2022). The struggle for women’s rights in Denmark. Croissant rouge. https://croissant-rouge-europeen.org/la-lutte-pour-les-droits-des-femmes-au-danemark↑28Amnesty International. (Novembre 2020). Denmark, a bill brings the country closer to a historic moment for women’s rights. https://www.amnesty.be/infos/actualites/article/danemark-projet-rapproche-pays-moment-historique-droits-femmes
