Here’s What Women of Colour Need to Know
Denmark’s own statistics show that women earn an average of 12.9% less than men, according to Danmarks Statistik. For women of colour, closing that gap has always required more preparation, more precision, and more strategic thinking. The EU Pay Transparency Directive is about to make that work a little easier.
That is because the tools that sharp negotiators have always relied on, knowing the market, understanding what colleagues earn, asking the right questions, are becoming legal rights.
Denmark’s draft bill implementing the EU Pay Transparency Directive was published on 26 February 2026, with its consultation period closing on 27 March 2026. Once enacted, it will shift the playing field in ways that reward those who are already prepared.
What the Directive Will Require
The law introduces four significant changes for workers in Denmark.
- Salary ranges will need to appear in job advertisements.
This means going into a salary conversation with a benchmark already in hand, before a single negotiation has taken place. - Employees will have the right to request pay information.
Specifically, the right to know the average pay of colleagues doing the same or equivalent work, broken down by gender. For anyone who has had to estimate whether their salary was fair, this is the data that makes a more informed conversation possible. Employers will also be required to remind employees annually that this right exists. Employees who are not reminded can claim compensation. - Organisations will be required to report on their gender pay gap.
Under Denmark’s draft, the rules are expected to come into force on 1 January 2027, with the first pay gap reports due in September 2028. Denmark’s draft goes further than the EU Directive requires, extending reporting obligations to employers with 50 or more employees, not just those with 100 or more. - Companies will need to explain pay gaps that are greater than 5%.
If an organisation cannot explain the difference, they will have six months to fix it. If they fail to do so, they will be required to conduct a formal review of their pay practices together with employee representatives. The burden of justification is shifting toward the employer.
It is worth noting that the final contents of the law may still change before it is adopted. What is described here reflects the draft as it stood at consultation. However, even if some of these provisions take another form, the direction of travel is clear.
How to Use This Moment
The directive creates openings. The question is how to use them.
- Ask about pay ranges now.
Some employers are already moving toward transparency before the law requires it. Asking directly about the salary range for a role, or where a current salary sits relative to comparable positions, is a legitimate question. The directive is giving that question a legal foundation, but there is no reason to wait. - Start tracking contributions in concrete terms.
When pay gap reporting arrives, organisations will need to justify their numbers. Employees who already have a clear record of their impact, in outputs and outcomes rather than just responsibilities, will be better placed to make the case for where they should sit. - Build the habit of negotiating from data.
Salary ranges in job ads, pay information on request, and gender pay gap reports will all, over time, create a richer picture of what roles actually pay. Getting comfortable with researching benchmarks and anchoring salary conversations in market data is one of the most valuable habits to build right now.
Getting prepared
Knowing what the law requires is a strong starting point. The next step is building the practical skills to use it, whether that is researching salary benchmarks, preparing for a pay conversation, or understanding where an employer’s obligations begin.
ProWoc regularly hosts events and workshops designed to support women in navigating exactly these kinds of moments. Become a member to stay informed about upcoming opportunities.
