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Over half of Danish women have been sexually harassed

Christian Wenande
November 11th, 2016


This article is more than 8 years old.

Some 57 percent aged 18-35 have been on the receiving end of a lewd joke, false rumours or being groped

Sugerdating a growing problem (photo: Leon israel)

A new survey for the union magazine Fagbladet 3F has revealed that about 57 percent of Danish women aged 18-35 have been sexually harassed at some point.

It also revealed that 17.5 percent of men in the same age group have experienced being sexually harassed.

“We need to create a culture in which individual employees can establish their boundaries themselves and decide whether the boss or colleagues’ comments are sexual harassment or not,” said Søren Heisel, a spokesperson for the union 3F.

“We believe the employer should pay compensation if they were in a position to do something to prevent the sexual harassment. It’s not like that today. We also believe that it should be easier to try these cases in court and that compensation should be higher.”

READ MORE: Denmark’s justice minister vows to investigate background of men accused of sexual harassment

Break it down
As part of the survey, 29.8 percent said they had been touched in a way that had sexual undertones, while 30.7 percent said they had been whistled at, shouted at or the like in a sexually provocative way.

Some 12 percent said they had been on the receiving end of explicit sexual comments, 19.8 percent said they had been asked unsolicited questions about their sex lives and 20.1 percent said that someone had made physical movements with sexual undertones in front of them.

Finally, 9.2 percent said they had encountered false rumours of a sexual nature circulating about them.


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Moreover, 21 percent of those surveyed admitted to medicating their kids with paracetamol, such as Panodil, before sending them to school.

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Many declare that they simply cannot take another day off, as they are afraid of being fired.

Allan Randrup Thomsen, a professor of virology at KU, has heavily criticised the parents’ actions, describing the current situation as a “vicious circle”.

“It promotes the spread of viruses, and it adds momentum to a cycle where parents are pressured by high levels of sick-leave. If they then choose to send the children to daycare while they are still recovering, they keep the epidemic going in daycares, and this in turn puts a greater burden on the parents.”