Judges rules on male-female salary lag

From now on, Danish companies have to give good reasons for any disparities in pay between men and women. On 24 September, reports Politiken, the Danish supreme Court ordered concrete maker Ikast Betonvarefabrik to pay arrears of salary to a woman consultant who was paid nearly a thousand euros less than her male colleagues for eight years running. The ruling could set a precedent. “This is a major victory in the fight for equal pay in Denmark,” explains Bent Greve, a professor in the Society and Globalisation Department at the University of Roskilde. “The Supreme Court has reversed the burden of proof. A company is guilty until it shows why men should be paid more.” Several studies indicate that there is a gap of up to 18% between men and women’s salaries in Denmark.