Denmark has some of the world's lowest income inequality. And when it comes to gender equality, women play a prominent role in business, while men get involved in childraising. Denmark is among the countries with the world's lowest income inequality, according to the OECD, which looks at income inequality as measured by the GINI coefficient across all 35 member states. It also has the lowest poverty rate among the OECD countries, where poverty is measured as the percentage of people who receive less than half the median national income.
Equality is important to the Danes. The Danish governing coalition almost always includes a Minister for Equality. Culturally, equality is also a deeply ingrained value in Denmark. The fictional, but much-discussed, Law of Jante contains dictates such as "Don't think you're better than we are" and "Don't think you are anyone special. Denmark scores well on the World Economic Forum's gender equality index.
Women in Denmark generally work outside the home and pursue careers while raising a family, assisted by the country's generous parental leave and tax-subsidised daycare. Parental leave is generous in Denmark. Women receive paid leave for four weeks before a baby's birth and 14 weeks after. Men receive paid leave for two weeks after the birth, and then the parents split up to 32 weeks paid leave.
Being gay in Denmark is no big deal. The country legalised same-sex marriage in , and same-sex partners are treated the same as opposite-sex partners before the law. Several government ministers in same-sex relationships bring their partners to public galas and introduce them to Queen Margrethe II. Although it lacks a distinct "gay neighbourhood," Copenhagen is generally considered one of the most gay-friendly cities in the world.
Its annual Pride Parade is held each year in August. Denmark is well-known in the transgender community because of the film The Danish Girl, which is loosely based on the true story of transgender Danish painter Lili Elbe Denmark was also the site of one of the first internationally-discussed gender reassignment surgeries in , when American Christine Jorgensen received several treatments from doctors in Copenhagen.
