In Denmark, we are well known for our welfare system — a system that is supposed to give women and men equal access to the job market and equal possibilities of making a career. We have daycare, schools, and other public institutions at the top of global rankings. Both men and women have great opportunities to have their loved ones (whether children or elderly relatives) taken care of during the daytime, allowing them to work. These institutions help us secure a high level of gender equality in the job market. We are often listed as being in top of the class when it comes to equal access to education, and the standard of our education is high. More Danish women complete higher education than Danish men.
Given all of this, we rank surprisingly low — 80th in the world — when it comes to leveling out the gender gap in leadership. On this metric, countries like Ghana, Venezuela, and Guatemala perform better than we do. Our well-educated women do not advance into leadership positions, and we rank 39th in wage equality for similar work. In the past 20 years, the number of female top executives has risen only from 10% to 15% (1995-2015). Only 6% of all chairpersons are women. The core problem is obvious: The Danish companies are wasting talent and missing economic growth opportunities.