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Immigrants outnumber ethnic Danes in Danish elder and childcare jobs
Lucie Rychla
June 25th, 2015
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This article is more than 10 years old.
In some cultures, teaching and nursing are not perceived as female jobs as much as they are in Denmark
Male immigrants and their descendants tend to outnumber their ethnic Danish counterparts in jobs traditionally performed by women, such as elder, health and childcare jobs.
A report by Momentum shows that 14 percent of the employees in the elderly care and healthcare sectors are men of non-Danish descent, while only 8 percent are ethnic Danish men.
Some cultures don’t perceive nursing as a female job
Vibeke Jakobsen, a senior researcher focusing on employment at the National Centre for Social Welfare, suggests that one of the possible explanations may be that the social and healthcare sectors have made an effort to attract ethnic minorities.
“There may also be a difference in what people in different countries regard as male and female work. In some countries nursing is perceived as a male profession to a much greater extent than it is in Denmark,” Jakobsen told Local Government Denmark.
More men of non-Danish descent in schools
Similarly, men of non-Danish descent outnumber male ethnic Danes three to two in the education sector and in administration.
“They may have some special skills, for example bilingualism, which are sought by some schools and institutions,” Vibeke Jakobsen.
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