96 monuments to men and animals and 5 to women: Denmark intends to tackle gender inequality in Copenhagen's art

Statues in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, are evidence of gender inequality. According to the Ministry of Culture, out of 321 statues and busts in Danish cities, only 31 are dedicated to women, which is less than 10%.

Against the backdrop of these disappointing statistics, the Ministry of Culture has announced the allocation of 50 million Danish kroner (5.7 million pounds) to tackle the gender imbalance and better represent Danish women in public art, the Independent writes.

Minister of Culture Jakob Engel-Schmidt said, "The numbers almost speak for themselves."

In Copenhagen, there are more statues of fairy tale animals (26) and men (70) than women. Only five of the monuments are dedicated to specific female figures.

The Ministry of Culture, together with a newly created committee of experts, will develop a plan to honour women who have been "overlooked in public space." This list will become the basis for future projects aimed at overcoming "historical inequality in urban space."

Engel-Schmidt called on the country's residents to send in proposals for new statues. The Minister of Culture proposed to immortalize the memory of pastry chef Karen Volf; Nielsine Nielsen, Denmark’s first female physician; and Bodil Begtrup, the country’s first female ambassador.

Recently, monuments to actress Betty Nansen and writer Lise Nørgaard, who died in 2023, were erected in Denmark.

As TravelWise previously reported, despite the problem with gender inequality in the arts, Denmark is still a popular tourist destination.