As concluded by Hovgaard (2015), the public sector of the Faroe Islands is important to the gender balance and to the career opportunities of Faroese women. According to Hovgaard, when Faroese men working as Long Distance Workers in the maritime sector choose to have their permanent address on the Faroe Islands, this is often motivated by providing the opportunity for their wives to find local employment. Hovgaard states that long distance work, as a profession and method of working, is in rapid growth in the Faroe Islands; and this method of working may potentially contribute to the future desire for maintaining a well-functioning local community on the Faroe Islands.