We’re not there yet: How IDA works for equality in the labour market

Denmark has been a leading country in the field of equality, but in recent years the development has stalled.

We have the lowest proportion of female managers in the Nordics, because there are too few women in  STEM programmes and women are still paid less than their male colleagues.

It is not only unreasonable, but also headless. More diversity provides better workplaces, solutions and products. That is why IDA is working to increase equality from the education system all the way up to the top management levels.

Here is an insight into the initiatives we work for on behalf of our members.

Equal pay for equal work

It should be as simple as this: All employees must receive equal pay for equal work. Nevertheless, year after year, IDA's salary statistics show an inexplicable salary gap between men and women. In the latest salary survey, the difference was 4 percent.

The pay gap occurs from the moment new graduates enter the labour market. Among newly qualified civil engineers, the monthly salary of women is on average DKK 815 behind their male colleagues.

To change that, we need to tackle the pay secrecy that exists in many workplaces. When there is transparency about pay, it becomes more difficult for the employer to maintain unexplained pay differences.

On a daily basis, we discuss equal pay with our union representatives, and we assist them in negotiations on equal pay.

At the same time, we support IDA's female members through personal advice and salary courses for women, where we encourage women to always use the salary level for a man in IDA's salary statistics as their starting point when they go into negotiations.

More women in management and board positions

Denmark is the Nordic country with the lowest proportion of female managers in both private companies and the public sector.

IDA works to identify and raise debates about the mechanisms that make it more difficult for women to reach the top than for men. This happens through IDA's efforts in the Women's Council and the UN Women's Commission.

In addition, IDA focuses on female managers at various events, including the annual conference Ledelse der Styrker (Leadership that empowers), the Agnes & Betzy award and by producing journalism about women in management in, among other things, the podcast series STEM'MER i ledelse (STEMs in management).

All parents must receive pay during parental leave

The most significant barrier to achieving equality in the labour market is the tendency for mothers to take the majority of the parental leave. It was therefore a big step in the right direction that 11 weeks earmarked parental leave was introduced for fathers or co-parents from August 2022.

In order for it to become attractive for more families to share parental leave in practice, it is crucial that the salary keeps up. Otherwise, more fathers will opt out of parental leave, as men are more often employed in sectors and industries where pay during parental leave is not part of the collective agreement.

IDA, in collaboration with the Think Tank Equalis, Djøf and DM, has established the Parental Leave Alliance. The purpose of the alliance is to modernise the rules that, despite the legislation on earmarked parental leave, stand in the way of pay during parental leave. Specifically, the alliance is focused on changing requirements for seniority for pay during parental leave and out-of-date reimbursement rules.

In IDA, we also work to ensure that proper parental conditions are part of the members' collective agreements, and that they are also improved in the future when the collective agreements are to be renewed. When we advise members who are employed outside of a collective agreement, we also encourage them to pay attention to whether there are proper terms for parental leave in their employment contract or the employer's personnel handbook.