The Danish Cyclists' Federation regrets calling snow clearing "sexist": "It was a blatant mistake."

Is it sexist that cars are prioritized over cyclists when roads and streets are cleared of snow in Denmark?

That was at least the opinion of the head of the Danish Cyclists' Federation (https://radio4.dk/podcasts/radio4-eftermiddag/fik-du-h-rt-cyklistforbundet-snerydningen-er-sexistisk) last week, and the statement sparked a heated debate on social media.

After Henriette Laursen, director of Kvinfo (https://radio4.dk/podcasts/radio4-eftermiddag/kvinfo-mener-kommuners-snerydning-forskelsbehandler-k-nnene), also expressed partial agreement with the claim in an interview with Radio4—though without using the word "sexist"—it prompted a number of politicians to respond critically on Facebook.

The comparison was called ridiculous by Mona Juul, leader of the Conservative People’s Party (https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1317237040212937&set=a.275340784402573&locale=da_DK), culture minister Jakob Engel Schmidt (https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1273673344578811&set=a.262749895671166&locale=da_DK) (M), Sólbjørg Jakobsen of the Liberal Alliance (https://www.facebook.com/solbjorgjakobsen/?locale=da_DK), and EU minister Marie Bjerre (V) (https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1297984628807065&set=a.273768797895325&locale=da_DK), among others.

But now the Danish Cyclists' Federation is stepping back. The head of the organization, Jens Peter Hansen, admitted in *P1 Debat* (https://www.dr.dk/lyd/p1/p1-debat/p1-debat-2026/sexistisk-snerydning-11162601082) that it was completely wrong to call snow clearing "sexist."

- It was a blatant mistake for me to link the two issues. I’ve learned from it, he said.

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**Minister: The cycling nation held hostage**

The minister responsible for the issue, transport minister Thomas Danielsen (V), also weighed in briefly over the weekend. *"As transport minister, I receive many inputs. Thank you for that. However, I won’t pursue this further,"* he wrote.

Still, he chose to engage in the debate on *P1* today.

- The snow-clearing task itself is simply not sexist, and all the data this debate is based on is simply incorrect, he said.

- I honestly can’t understand why someone would want to hold Denmark as a cycling nation hostage in a debate about sexism and the like. That’s just disrespectful, said Thomas Danielsen.

Transport minister Thomas Danielsen (V) initially refused to participate in the debate but ultimately did so anyway. (Archive photo). (Photo: © Thomas Traasdahl, Ritzau Scanpix)

> *"We know that both women and men cycle the same number of trips per day. In fact, men cycle slightly farther than women do, while women walk slightly more,"*

> **Thomas Danielsen (V), transport minister**

In the initial statement from the Danish Cyclists' Federation, the reasoning was that studies, according to the federation’s leader, show that women are more inclined to cycle and walk, while men more often choose the car. Therefore, men are prioritized over women when it comes to snow clearing, one might conclude.

Thomas Danielsen, however, does not believe the latest figures support that.

- For example, we know that both women and men cycle the same number of trips per day, and in fact, men cycle slightly farther than women do, while women walk slightly more, he said, referring to a report from DTU.

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**Debate based on a book chapter**

So snow clearing is not sexist, then? the host of *P1 Debat* asks the federation’s leader, Jens Peter Hansen.

- No, it’s not.

Why did you say it was on Friday?

- Well, two years ago, I read the chapter *"Can snowclearing be sexist?"* in a book titled *Usynlige kvinder* (*Invisible Women*). It was quite an eye-opener for me to learn how a Swedish municipality had saved a lot of money on accidents and sick leave by reprioritizing their snow clearing in favor of pedestrians and cyclists, he said.

- I wanted to share that experience with others. And so I simply reused the chapter’s title with the intention of sparking interest in whether we could do things differently here, said Jens Peter Hansen.

The recent weeks of snowy weather have reignited the debate about snow clearing in several ways. (Photo: © Bo Amstrup, Ritzau Scanpix)

He now regrets, however, that the debate has centered more on the phrase *"sexist snow clearing"* than on the original intent to highlight cyclists’ challenges in winter conditions.

- Therefore, I fully agree with the transport minister. This is harmful, both for snow clearing, for the equality debate, and of course also for the Danish Cyclists' Federation, he said, adding:

- I was a bit blind to the fact that by using that word (*sexist*, ed.) alongside snow clearing, it could completely derail the discussion of what really matters.

Listen to more from the debate in the *P1* studio, where it largely revolved around why the word *"sexist"* might be counterproductive in a discussion about something tangible.

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