The Gender Equality Committee
Key topics addressed by the Gender Equality Committee include gender equality, and national and international initiatives to this end.
Tasks and responsibilities
The Gender Equality Committee was established in the parliamentary session 2011-12.
The committee was set up to address equal opportunities for all genders. The committee’s remit is to work at national and international levels.
The committee addresses gender equality as follows:
- handling of bills and motions regarding gender equality
- ongoing parliamentary scrutiny of the government’s administration of legislation in the gender equality area by tabling questions to the Minister for Gender Equality or other ministers.
- organises hearings, expert meetings, etc. to discuss gender equality
Specialist ministry
The committee’s minister is the Minister for Gender Equality. The minister works with gender equality issues across all ministerial remits and coordinates government initiatives within the gender equality field. Individual ministers are responsible for gender equality in their own field. For example, gender equality issues in labour market legislation fall within the Minister for Employment’s remit. Therefore, the committee very largely engages with other ministers (in this example, the Minister for Employment). Its tasks often overlap with those of other committees.
Background
The Gender Equality Committee came into being for the first time in May 2011 by dint of an amendment to the Danish Parliament’s standing orders. Before 2011, there was no independent gender equality committee, although, in practice, the erstwhile Political and Economic Committee took care of this policy field.
A motion to set up a Gender Equality Committee was passed in response to clear indications in several circumstances of the need for a parliamentary committee to maintain an overarching, inter-ministerial overview of gender equality issues – and a Minister for Gender Equality who would assume general responsibility for the government’s gender equality policy.
Contact the committee
Organisations and private citizens are welcome to contact the committee if they wish to draw attention to a gender equality issue. Organisations and private citizens are also welcome to send a delegation to meet the committee in order to inform the committee of a specific case. However, the committee does not process individual cases.
Study trips
The committee occasionally makes study trips abroad to gather knowledge and inspiration. Committee members take part in international congresses and meetings, e.g. under the auspices of the UN.