Jul 31 2026
Faroe Islanders have a very strong sense of a distinct national identity, which has only grown stronger over the years as the Faroe Islands, under the home-rule arrangement, have become increasingly autonomous and less dependent on financial support from outside. No Faroese person doubts the fact that he or she is not “Danish,” but first …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2026/07/31/the-future-of-the-faroe-islands-after-secession/
Jul 24 2026
In small societies – like small towns, villages, tight-knit subcultures, family businesses, professional niches – social control is mostly informal. Reputation, gossip, approval, and exclusion matter more than formal law. These factors shape people and businesses in distinct ways. By Elin Brimheim Heinesen How Social Control Works in Small Societies People have a high visibility …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2026/07/24/social-control-in-small-societies/
Oct 02 2025
Most people (in the Faroe Islands) agree that there are special difficult circumstances where exceptions can be made and permission should be granted for abortion. Therefore this question is being asked: So why not make a law that allows abortion because of those difficult circumstances? Why not make a law on exceptions instead of a …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2025/10/02/should-the-law-allow-free-abortion-or-only-allow-exceptional-cases/
Mar 28 2025
PRESENTATION ABOUT WOMEN IN MUSIC held at the G! Festival 2024 in Gøta, Faroe Islands, by Elin Brimheim Heinesen – an old-timer on the Faroese music scene, born in 1958 and started performing music publicly in 1974 when she was 16 years old: WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES FEMALE ARTISTS FACE? I will be speaking to …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2025/03/28/the-gender-gap-in-the-music-industry/
Sep 24 2024
Dear Russel, Let me say right away, I’m not one to mock your newfound passion. If your love for Christianity is genuine, and you truly have a desire to become a better person, then this might be the right path for you to follow. You certainly seem convinced that the Bible holds the key to …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2024/09/24/open-letter-to-a-former-drug-addict-turned-born-again-christian/
Aug 10 2024
I have nearly lived for 66 years now. Looking back, it can be established that I have lived a very colourful life, both for better and worse. When you live this long, you can’t avoid facing some challenges along the way. If I hadn’t had friends to help me get back on my feet, I …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2024/08/10/friends-are-crucial-for-quality-of-life/
Jul 12 2024
In continuation of the debate about the lack of female representation at festivals in the Faroe Islands and elsewhere, many wonder why it should even be a problem. Why the heck should everything be turned into a question of gender? Isn’t it all just about good music? The desire for more female musicians on stage …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2024/07/12/are-women-less-musical-than-men/
May 12 2024
Let me say this straight away. I support freedom of choice – meaning women should have the right to decide whether to carry a pregnancy to term or not. This doesn’t mean I believe abortion is good or an ideal solution, as the best scenario would naturally be for women to completely avoid situations where …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2024/05/12/should-women-be-forced-to-undergo-unwanted-pregnancies/
Mar 05 2024
In our patriarchal society, age-old norms still dictate how men and women are supposed to be. Traditional ideas about gender influence us to expect men to be strong and stoic. Boys are told throughout their upbringing that “real men don’t cry!” and are mocked if they show weakness. The worst thing a boy can hear …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2024/03/05/womansplaining-the-so-called-masculinity-crisis/
May 15 2023
Gentrification is a process of change occurring in numerous cities worldwide, where old, often rundown and neglected neighbourhoods are renovated and revitalised. But is this development always beneficial? That is the question, because housing prices often rise sharply and many housing units are bought by wealthy people as investment properties, which often leads to conflicts …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2023/05/15/gentrification-when-affluent-individuals-take-over-neighbourhoods/
Mar 12 2023
Trigger warning: If you are curious to read about masculinity from a female point of view, then this is for you. But if you have a hard time tolerating a woman allowing herself to have an opinion about what a “real man” is, then I would recommend that you skip this article. 😉 By Elin …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2023/03/12/what-is-a-real-man-today/
Jan 02 2023
WARNING! This is intense stuff! Do you want to watch a chilling documentary about the harm that fundamentalism, blind faith, and loyalty to men who claim to be God’s chosen messengers can cause? Do you want to see what happens when a ruthless man achieves god-like status and gains power over thousands of people, then …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2023/01/02/keep-sweet-pray-and-obey/
Mar 30 2022
Is it necessary to identify “culprits”? Some people dislike the term “general sexist culture” because they find it too vague. They compare it to a situation where someone is assaulted during a night out, knows who did it, but instead of reporting the perpetrator, only complains about the “general culture of violence in nightlife”. If …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2022/03/30/is-it-too-imprecise-to-speak-about-a-general-sexist-culture/
Feb 17 2021
Belief in conspiracy theories is essentially a projection of one’s own fear. The recent rapid rise of conspiracy theories reveals how fearful and mentally stressed many are about the current state of the world, especially with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The powerlessness in the face of uncertainty makes people gravitate towards something fantastical to occupy …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2021/02/17/qanon-conspiracy-theories-lead-to-tyranny/
Dec 28 2020
What mindset most promotes or hinders development and wellbeing in the Faroe Islands? Is it the dream of the modern, technologically advanced city life, or the belief that “everything was better in the old days”? Who is right – those who want to make the Faroe Islands a hyper-modern global IT society, or those who …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2020/12/28/the-struggle-between-urban-and-rural-areas/
Jun 30 2020
Elin is in balance. Currently, she is in a good place in life. She is content with her job, has a cozy home, owns a sweet dog, has lovely siblings with the world’s sweetest children whom she adores, and she has good friends around her whom she often enjoys spending time with. Elin is happy …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2020/06/30/care-helped-me-to-survive/
Apr 13 2020
Column in the Faroese Women’s Magazine “Kvinna” about the Corona crisis. By Elin Brimheim Heinesen From carefree to nervous worry February 3 this year I flew from the Faroe Islands to spend a long winter holiday in Cuba with seven girlfriends. Little did we know that a month later we would return home to a …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2020/04/13/distance-makes-us-appreciate-presence/
Mar 09 2020
With regard to yesterday’s International Women’s Day, how far have we come with gender equality when it comes to our attitudes? Many are still clinging to old ideas about gender that prevailed in the 60s (as the advice to women in the picture to the right illustrates). By Elin Brimheim Heinesen It seems more than …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2020/03/09/is-the-desire-for-the-perfect-housewife-still-hanging-aroynd-as-an-ideal/
Oct 22 2019
Article in the Faroese women’s magazine Kvinna in 2019 about Elin Brimheim Heinesen and what she has learned from life. The article in Kvinna was a bit shorter, but here is the full-length article. Facts about Elin Born: 25th June 1958 Children: One daughter, Helena, born in 1990 Marital status: Single About Family… Family means …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2019/10/22/my-life-has-thaught-me/
Sep 05 2019
Whether we like it or not, homosexuality is a reality we cannot ignore. We can choose to accept this reality or not, but burying our heads in the sand is not helpful. Homosexuals have always existed and will not disappear, regardless of efforts to prevent these people from loving their own gender. Is there any …
Permanent link to this article: https://heinesen.info/wp/en/blog/2019/09/05/protect-the-rights-and-liberties-of-homosexuals/
