MeToo in Denmark: what comes next?
Frank Jensen, Lord Mayor of Copenhagen and deputy leader of the Danish Social Democrats, has resigned from all his political posts amid allegations of sexual harassment. Only last week, Morten Østergaard, the leader of the left-liberal party Radikale Venstre (Radical Left) had also resigned after several accusations of sexual abuse within the party. The press discusses what steps need to be taken after this political earthquake.
Clean up the corporate culture
According to a recent report, only 69 of Denmark's 1,000 largest companies are managed by women. Berlingske sees this as fundamental problem:
“One of the main causes is the sexist culture that prevails in many industries. ... The sexism debate cannot be separated from discussion about the lack of women in executive positions - the two are interconnected. The top bosses must lead the way, they must change corporate culture and make their companies attractive to talented women - for the benefit of the companies, which can thus secure the most capable employees; for the benefit of the national economy; and of course for the benefit of the women, who can thus develop their talents.”
Forgiveness must be possible
Politiken editor-in-chief Christian Jensen sees MeToo at a crossroads:
“In the next phase of the inevitable confrontation with sexism, the decisive factor must be whether those who are responsible for slights against women understand that their time is up. Morten Østergaard understood this too late. And clearly Frank Jensen didn't understand it at all. But for those who honestly want to position themselves on the right side in this cultural struggle, there must be room for concessions, apologies and forgiveness. So the departure of Østergaard and Jensen does not necessarily mean that all men who have made mistakes must be brought down.”