Last Week in Denmark
Last Week In Denmark brings you the top stories and developments from across Denmark — in English, in under 30 minutes, and through the lens of internationals who live here. Each week, two hosts from the LWID community unpack the week’s news with a personal and global perspective.
With a mix of quick summaries and thoughtful commentary, we cover everything from housing and healthcare to politics — all curated to keep you informed, engaged, and empowered.
Whether you're new to Denmark or have been here for years, this is your go-to bite-sized update on what’s happening — and why it matters to you.
Last Week in Denmark
New Laws, Old Challenges: Denmark’s Push for Health and Equality | LWID S3E14
Denmark isn’t standing still — it’s taking bold steps to protect health, rights, and everyday life for its people. In this episode of Last Week in Denmark, Fionn and Katie share their viewpoints on the top 3 major news stories of the week: the expansion of abortion rights for teens and adults, new data on how motherhood continues to stall women’s careers, and growing concerns over the rise of tinnitus among young people.
In this episode:
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Fionn:
Welcome to the Last Week in Denmark podcast. This is Season 3, Episode 14. My name is Fionn O'Tool, and joining me this week is Katie Burns. Hi Katie, how have you been?
Katie:
Good! I'm excited for our first episode together. I can't believe we haven't done it before!
Fionn:
I know! And, well, spoiler alert for any sharp-eared listeners—this is our first time co-hosting together.
(And technically, eagles are known for their sight, not their hearing, but you get the idea.)
Also, spoiler alert: we’re both Irish.
Katie:
Yes, we are!
Fionn:
And I think we need to promise ourselves—and our audience—that we won't just turn this into Last Week in Denmark... in Ireland.
Katie:
I can't promise that.
Fionn:
Okay, fair enough.
It’s so easy to compare where you live now with your home country. I do it all the time—like when someone complains about the metro in Denmark, and I'm like, wait until you hear about home!
But I’ll try my best not to turn this into Last Week in Ireland.
Katie:
I'm not even going to try. I'm going to do it shamelessly.
Fionn:
Fair enough.
If you're new to the podcast, here's how it works: every week we dig into the three biggest things that happened in Denmark.
This week’s top stories are:
- Parliament expanding abortion rights by raising the limit to 18 weeks and giving 15–17-year-olds full decision-making power
- Motherhood continuing to stall women’s careers, with far fewer mothers than fathers returning to full-time work after two years
- Experts calling for national hearing guidelines as tinnitus cases among young people have more than doubled since 2010
Let's dive right into our headline story—the new abortion limit.
Fionn:
Maybe just a little background first.
This change happened recently—on Thursday, the Danish Parliament voted to expand abortion rights by raising the limit to 18 weeks.
There were actually three votes:
- Raising the limit to 18 weeks
- Giving 15–17-year-olds full decision-making power
- Replacing the five regional abortion councils with one national abortion board
All three passed.
The main vote, about the 18-week limit, passed with 74 in favor and 29 against—pretty decisive.
The new rules will come into force from July 1st.
No big surprises about who voted for and against: the government, Enhedslisten, the Socialist People’s Party, the Alternative, and Radical Venstre supported it.
The more conservative parties—Dansk Folkeparti, the Conservatives, Liberal Alliance, Dansk Demokraterne, and one Venstre politician—voted against.
This has been in the works for about a year now.
Katie, what do you think? Was it soon enough?
Katie:
Never soon enough.
As a woman and a lesbian, I have a lot of feelings about anything that touches on women's autonomy.
I get that it's a complicated topic—babies are very cute, and there’s always that question of when life officially begins.
But there's also a massive knowledge gap about pregnancy. I only found out recently that your teeth can fall out when you're pregnant!
Nobody tells you those things, especially when you're younger.
Younger bodies aren't fully developed—your hips, for example—so pregnancy can have huge long-term effects if it happens too early.
So overall, I think this is a really positive move.
Honestly, it's part of why I feel so safe living in Denmark compared to other places.
In Ireland, big changes happen through referendums—then everyone just moves on and doesn't talk about it for 10 or 15 years. It’s stressful.
Here, there's a feeling of steady progress: "How can we give more rights? How can we make things fairer?"
That's a really good thing.
But at the same time, I still get that inner female outrage—why can’t I just have full control over my body, period?
And why only 15–17-year-olds?
In the UK, you can access abortion without parental consent from 13.
What about 14-year-olds?
Especially when abuse is a reality we don’t like to talk about—what protections will there be for those younger girls?
It’s a good step. But also: I’m angry.
What about you, Fionn?
Fionn:
Yeah, I definitely have strong feelings too.
Honestly, it feels like a bit of a cop-out to say "as a father," but having a daughter just makes it hit even harder.
Of course, all women—whether they're in my life or not—deserve full control over their healthcare.
But now, with a young daughter, I think even more about what kind of world she’ll grow up in.
The official reasoning for the 15-year-old limit ties to Denmark’s legal age of sexual consent—it’s 15.
And healthcare laws already allow 15-year-olds to give informed consent for other medical treatments.
So legally, it makes sense to align those rights.
But you're right—there are 13- and 14-year-olds who get pregnant, sometimes through abuse.
It's complicated.
Still, I think this is a really positive step.
If my daughter ever needed support, I’d hope she’d feel safe talking to me—but ultimately, she shouldn't need my permission for her own healthcare decisions.
Katie:
Exactly. Even if you’re a wonderful, supportive dad—it's still not your business.
Every person should have the right to say, "This isn't right for me right now," without needing parental consent.
Fionn:
Absolutely.
And it’s good to see laws finally moving with the times.
Medical technology has improved so much since abortion was legalized in Denmark 50 years ago. Back then, 12 weeks was a hard limit mainly because surgery beyond that point was much riskier.
Now, it's safer, and the laws are catching up.
So often, laws lag decades behind society, but this feels like a case where Denmark is actually keeping pace.
It’s rare—and refreshing.
Katie:
Yeah, because in other countries, the conversation is often, "How can we take away 50 years of progress?"
It’s really good to see Denmark moving the other way.
Fionn:
Speaking of children and family life—our second story today might not surprise you.
Katie, did you know there's a gender pay gap in Denmark?
Katie:
What?! Shocking.
You mean women aren’t making more than men?
Fionn:
I know, crazy.
Yes, unfortunately, women still earn less—and one of the biggest reasons is starting a family.
New research from Dansk Industri shows that parenthood still affects women’s careers much more than men’s.
Two years after giving birth, only about half of women work 35+ hours a week.
For men, it’s 83%.
Katie:
Ugh.
I’m glad we’re talking about this, but honestly, this isn’t new.
Yes, it's great Denmark is encouraging more paternity leave now. In Ireland, fathers still only get two weeks!
But for generations, men haven’t had the same chance to step into the caregiver role.
And when they do, people either treat it as "weird" or heap praise on them for doing the same basic parenting work women have always done.
So I love that Denmark is moving toward real balance.
Also, honestly—working is terrible.
Kids have way better toys than adults. I’d pick paternity leave over spreadsheets any day!
But seriously, giving both parents the option to stay home and connect with their kids benefits everyone.
The patriarchy traps men too, not just women.
Fionn:
Absolutely.
I can confirm from personal experience: having time at home with my kids was magical, not a burden.
When my son was born in Switzerland, I basically had to take two months off without official approval—because otherwise, I'd get one day.
But later, with my daughter born in Denmark, I had full, supported paternity leave—and the difference in bonding was incredible.
Katie:
And you didn't even have to carry around a boring briefcase!
Fionn:
Only Easter egg wrappers, these days.
But seriously: it’s frustrating how little has changed over the last 10 years, statistically.
I’m hopeful, though, that new EU rules and changing cultural expectations will finally start to shift this.
Both parents should feel they have real options—not pressure or sacrifice.
Katie:
Exactly.
Equality isn’t just about giving women more rights. It’s about giving men more freedom too—to be emotional, to parent, to step outside old stereotypes. Well said.
Fionn:
And on the theme of health—last week on the podcast, we talked about the hidden epidemic of sleep apnea, with around 400,000 cases estimated in Denmark.
This week, we have another widespread health issue getting attention: tinnitus.
A new survey in the National Health Profile shows that 1 in 10 people aged 16–24 experience some degree of tinnitus.
That’s double the rate from 2010.
The Danish Health Service estimates around 770,000 Danes suffer from it overall, making it one of the biggest health issues in the country.
If you don’t know, tinnitus is essentially a constant phantom noise—ringing, buzzing, clicking, roaring—that can be mild or severe, constant or intermittent.
And it’s not just an ear problem. It can cause major stress, sleep issues, even depression and memory problems.
Katie, you were telling me you read more about it after this report. What did you find out?
Katie:
Yes—and honestly, I didn’t realize how little I knew about it until I started reading!
For background: I’m not a big concert person.
I don't like loud noise much.
I listen to music and audiobooks, but mostly through headphones and usually at pretty low volumes.
So I thought tinnitus wasn’t something I needed to worry about.
But it turns out, even listening constantly at a moderate volume—like hours of audiobooks every day—can still cause damage over time.
That was a shock.
Fionn:
Right, it's not just about loud concerts—it's about constant sound exposure.
Katie:
Exactly.
And while experts say "don’t listen too loudly or too long," it’s frustratingly vague.
What’s "too loud"? What’s "too long"?
There’s no real guidance for someone like me who listens for hours but at low volume, or who speeds up audiobooks. Does that make it worse? Nobody really knows.
And we're surrounded by noise all the time—especially in cities.
Even wearing headphones constantly for work and commuting adds up.
Fionn:
Yeah, it seems like we’re only just starting to understand the long-term risks.
One thing that stood out to me: tinnitus usually skews older—it’s often linked to aging, hearing loss, medication side effects, or health conditions.
But now, younger people—16 to 24-year-olds—are showing much higher rates.
It points to lifestyle factors like constant headphone use and noisy environments.
And the mental health impact is huge—stress, anxiety, sleep issues, even memory problems.
Katie:
Yes!
And I started noticing that products like Loop earplugs and noise-limiting headphones are everywhere now.
There's definitely a shift happening—people are becoming more aware of protecting their hearing, not just at concerts, but in everyday life.
Fionn:
Exactly.
Even my Apple AirPods have a feature that lowers the volume automatically if it goes over a safe threshold.
It's nice to see both public health campaigns and private companies catching up.
And honestly, if constant noise exposure can mess with your cardiovascular health too—raising your stress levels long-term—it’s something we should all take seriously.
Katie:
Agreed.
Although, will we hear more about it?
Fionn:
[Laughs] I should pretend I set you up for that, but honestly, I didn't.
Still, a quality pun.
Fionn:
On that note, it's time to wrap up today's episode.
Huge thanks to all of you listening!
Don’t forget to check out the Last Week in Denmark newsletter on Substack if you haven’t already.
And of course, you can find us on all the good social platforms too.
Katie:
Yes, and I'm so glad I finally got to co-host with you, Fionn!
Also—you’re much better than me at remembering to mention the socials and the Substack.
Fionn:
That’s what teamwork is for.
Thanks again for listening, and have a great week ahead!
