In a historic decision, a majority in the Folketing (the Danish parliament) has voted to introduce female conscription as part of a larger strengthening of the Danish defense. The decision, made on Tuesday evening, includes an investment of 95 billion Danish kroner in the defense and has been hailed as a milestone for gender equality in Denmark. The three major morning newspapers, Jyllands-Posten, Politiken, and Berlingske, all agree that this step marks a significant victory for gender equality.
“With the decision to equate conscription for women with men, the government has made a historic decision that will help shape the view of gender equality in the coming generations,” writes Politiken. Despite the broad support, there is still opposition from parties like the Liberal Alliance and the Danish Democrats. The Liberal Alliance is generally against conscription, while the Danish Democrats specifically oppose the introduction of female conscription. Their opposition means that the change will not come into effect until after the next election, expected to take place in 2027.
Jyllands-Posten has criticized the ideological battle that emerged during the negotiations and called it “incomprehensible” that the two parties do not support full conscription. The newspaper speculates whether this will become a central theme in the upcoming election campaign. Berlingske highlights that it is positive that the introduction of female conscription has not disrupted the decision to strengthen the Danish defense.
“The fight for gender equality was unfortunately on the verge of turning into a bitter values battle in the defense negotiations,” writes Berlingske, adding that it is important to maintain reason and pragmatism in such discussions. This change is expected to increase the number of conscripts from 4700 to 7500, and with an extension of the service period from four to 11 months, it is assumed that more people will have to participate involuntarily if voluntarism does not suffice.