Why Norway has more female local councillors than Denmark: a crack in the Nordic gender equality model?

Figures & data

Figure 1. Share of female councillors and mayors (1945–2019) (%), Denmark and Norway.

Source: Norway: Statistics Norway Statbank table 09494 and Berglund (2005); Denmark: Statistics Denmark, Statistiske Efterretninger, various years, and Kjaer and Opstrup (2018).

Table 1. Per cent women amongst elected councillors, by municipal size (population), Denmark 2017 and Norway 2019.

Six population categories
	<2500	2501–5000	5001–10,000	10,001–20,000	20,001–50,000	50,001–100,000	100,000+	Total
Norway	40.6	39.2	39.1	39.6	42.2	42.6	43.5	40.5
N	1708	1397	1741	1694	1747	610	439	9336
Four population categories
	<20,000				20,001–50,000	50,001–100,000	100,000+	Total
Norway	39.6				42.2	42.6	43.5	40.5
Denmark	34.1				31.4	33.8	37.3	32.9
N (Norway)	6540				1747	610	439	9336
N (Denmark)	91				1232	876	233	2432

Table 2. Per cent women amongst elected candidates, by party, Denmark 2017 and Norway 2019.

Norway		Denmark		N (Norway)	N (Denmark)
Red Party	44.0	37.3	Red–Green Alliance	193	102
Socialist Left Party	54.3	38.9	Socialist People’s Party	457	126
Labour Party	45.9	35.3	Social Democrats	2579	842
Green Party	48.5	50.0	Alternative	307	20
		37.5	Social Liberals		80
Centre Party	40.0			2266
Christian Democratic Party	34.8			411
Liberal Party	37.5	28.6	Liberal Alliance	264	28
		29.1	Liberal Party		688
Conservative Party	36.2	29.8	Conservative People’s Party	1488	225
Progress Party	26.0	31.4	Danish People’s Party	701	223
Total	40.5	32.9	Total	9336	2432

Notes: The parties are sorted along the left–centre–right dimension. The analysis is restricted to the political parties represented in the national parliaments, except New Bourgeois in Denmark, which had only one councillor.

Table 3. Per cent women amongst elected candidates, by ballot structure, Denmark 2017 and Norway 2019.

		Per cent	N
Norway	Actual open list	40.5	9336
	Hypothetical closed list	44.6	9336
	Difference	−4.1
Denmark	Actual open list	32.9	2432
	Hypothetical closed list	31.4	2432
	Difference	1.5

Table 4. Per cent women amongst elected candidates, by party and ballot structure, Denmark 2017 and Norway 2019.

Norway				Denmark
	Actual open list	Hypothetical closed list	Difference	Difference	Actual open list	Hypothetical closed list		N (NO)	N (DK)
Red Party	44.0	47.2	−3.1	0.0	37.3	37.3	Red–Green Alliance	193	102
Socialist Left Party	54.3	53.8	0.4	3.2	38.9	35.7	Socialist People’s Party	457	126
Labour Party	45.9	49.4	−3.5	−0.4	35.3	35.7	Social Democrats	2579	842
Green Party	48.5	46.6	2.0	15.0	50.0	35.0	Alternative	307	20
				5.0	37.5	32.5	Social Liberals		80
Centre Party	40.0	45.2	−5.2					2266
Christian Democratic Party	34.8	38.4	−3.6					411
Liberal Party	37.5	38.6	−1.1	10.7	28.6	17.9	Liberal Alliance	264	28
				1.0	29.1	28.1	Liberal Party		688
Conservative Party	36.2	41.9	−5.7	3.1	29.8	26.7	Conservative People’s Party	1488	225
Progress Party	26.0	30.2	−4.3	2.7	31.4	28.7	Danish People’s Party	701	223
Total	40.5	44.6	−4.1	1.5	32.9	31.4	Total	9336	2432

Notes: The parties are sorted along the left–centre–right dimension. The analysis is restricted to the political parties represented in the national parliaments, except New Bourgeois in Denmark.

Figure 2. Per cent who agreed or disagreed that different types of representation are important, Denmark 2017 and Norway 2019.

Notes: Questions asked: ‘It is important that the municipal politicians come from different geographical parts of the municipality; It is important that the age distribution in the municipal council is roughly the same as among the voters; It is important that the distribution of men and women among the local politicians is similar to the distribution among the voters.

Minimum N: Denmark = 5100, Norway = 3703.

Table 5. Per cent who totally or partly agreed that different types of representation are important, by gender, Denmark 2017 and Norway 2019.

	Men		Women
	Denmark	Norway	Denmark	Norway
Gender representation	37.2	54.1	50.4	61.8
Age representation	35.9	56.2	44.3	62.2
Geographic representation	68.7	69.6	74.3	74.5
Minimum N	2647	1879	2452	1824

Figure 3. Per cent who stated that a reason was of great importance/played a large role for the preferential vote, Denmark 2017 and Norway 2019.

Notes: Questions asked: Denmark: ‘How important were the following reasons when you chose to vote for this specific candidate? No importance; Some importance; Great importance; Don’t know’. Norway: ‘There may be many reasons for casting preferential votes. What role did the following reasons play for your preferential vote at the municipal election? Played a large role; Played some role; Played no role’.

Minimum N: Denmark = 3275, Norway = 1567.

Table 6. Per cent who stated that a reason was of great importance/played a large role for the preferential vote, by gender, Denmark 2017 and Norway 2019.

	Men		Women
	Denmark	Norway	Denmark	Norway
Candidate’s gender	5.4	4.5	15.1	11.5
Candidate’s age	3.9	8.8	6.8	8.6
Candidate’s profession	17.7	14.1	17.9	10.0
Personal acquaintance	18.8	32.8	16.6	29.2
Candidate’s attachment to a specific part of the municipality	28.7	27.5	34.2	34.4
Candidate’s involvement in local associations	27.3	21.9	32.3	24.8
Candidate’s political points of view	75.8	40.1	78.2	44.3
Minimum N	1720	770	1554	798

Berglund, Frode (2005). ‘Likestilte politikere? Om rekruttering og frafall i lokalpolitikken’, Report 2005:18. Oslo: NIBR.

 Google Scholar

Kjaer, Ulrik, and Niels Opstrup (2018). ‘Danske borgmestre 1970-2018’, Kommunalpolitiske Studier No. 33/2018. Odense: Faculty of Business and Social Sciences, University of Southern Denmark.

 Google Scholar

Data availability statement

The Norwegian data sets are available at Statistics Norway and Sikt – Norwegian Agency for Shared Services in Education and Research. The Danish data sets are available at Statistics Denmark and the Danish National Archives.