A welfare state?
So what is the secret of this small country? Several factors explain this positive energy. Hardworking and industrious, Denmark is one of the richest countries in the world with stable economic growth and almost no unemployment. With its social-democratic policy, the State takes care of its inhabitants, which has a very reassuring effect. Health, school, university and training are completely free of charge, but each citizen pays between 60 and 80% in taxes. Here, the State and the individual are not in opposition. On the contrary, they have the same interests and are one and the same, which annihilates any power struggle. This is undoubtedly a legacy of Protestantism, which values the individual rather than the group! The absence of tension contributes to well-being..
And youth emerges stronger and more independent. At the age of 18, 90% of young people have left the parental nest. The social pressure exerted on them is less strong. They have the right to make mistakes, to change their course of study, they can even interrupt their studies to think about it for a few months, to reorient themselves. The diploma or the social network have less influence than the aptitudes of the future employee!
This is possible thanks to an efficient educational system. It must be said that the State spends a large part of its budget on education: 8% of GDP (5% in France). The school infrastructure is modern: Internet access, numerous sports facilities and playgrounds... The teaching provided is much more flexible than the one we know: the relationship between teachers and students is less rigid (teachers are on a first-name basis) and continuous assessment avoids the stress of repeated examinations.
Few students choose to go on to university studies as soon as they have obtained their baccalaureate: they often travel in order to develop their personality and broaden their field of experience while taking advantage of a points system that allows easier access to the university. Once enrolled, they are automatically granted a scholarship for five years, regardless of social class: the equivalent of 500 euros per month! Parallel education is also important: many evening classes are subsidized by the state, private schools are very popular(højskole) and offer a wide range of activities designed to perfect knowledge in a specific field before continuing one's education in higher education institutions.
Denmark is also a pioneer in social security. The organization of public assistance dates back to 1849, the date of the first Danish constitution. Even then, a minimum level of support for the sick was guaranteed in the form of subsidies or care. The universal health insurance system is based on the principle of decentralized national insurance. While the state manages the administrative part, the regional and municipal authorities own and manage the hospital facilities and finance all the health professionals and private practitioners under contract. Everyone who is a resident in Denmark has the right to health care. Medical and hospital care is free of charge as well as dental and optical care. The consumption of drugs is lower than in any other European country.
Family life
In Denmark, the arrival of a baby gives the right to 52 weeks of parental leave. Four weeks for the mother before the birth and 14 weeks afterwards, the other 32 weeks are divided between the parents according to their wishes! On the other hand, they are compensated in a variable way, according to the collective agreements. This is enough to make us dream! Since 2017, the government has embarked on a shock campaign to encourage fathers to take advantage of this social gain and their newborn. Some employers are really playing along. For example, the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, promotes it as a real recruitment argument and pays all its employees their full salary during their absence.
Family life is important, so everything is done to reconcile it with professional life. The legal working time is 37 hours per week, the days start very early, the lunch break flirts with half an hour but at 4 pm, all the offices are empty. It's time to pick up the kids from school. Here there is no need to have a baby-sitter at home while waiting for the parents to return, nor to run to the nursery with an eye on the clock, because many companies have a childcare facility on site. And this is not negligible, especially since 80% of Danish women work. This is one of the highest rates in the world! The concept of the child-king must have been born here, in the land of Andersen's fairy tales: the biggest museums open special rooms for them, the parks are full of playgrounds. We take them everywhere with us (especially on bicycles, in the back or in the cargo in front). Cinemas organize special screenings to allow parents to live normally. In 1997, the parliament passed a law allowing parents to lodge a complaint against spanking!
Another important family factor is the mixing of generations. The weight of tradition brings families together, even the most broken ones, around small events or traditional celebrations, as shown by the importance of celebrating birthdays or Christmas festivities. Couples are getting married later and later: at 33 for men and 30 for women. As for divorces, it seems that the separation rate reached its peak in the 1970s: one in two marriages compared to one in three today. For this reason, the rate of cohabitation is very high, one in five couples.
Family and marriage also concern the gay community. Homosexuals, male or female, have been able to enter into civil marriage since 1989 (a world first) with the same tax and inheritance rights as a heterosexual couple. Since March 2009, adoption for same-sex couples has been legal and in 2012, the law allowed marriage in the State Lutheran Church. More than 7500 unions have been celebrated.
New statutes that mark the degree of tolerance of the Danes towards a community that simply asks for the "right to be indifferent". Danish gay life is particularly active, both in terms of associations and nightlife.
A relaxed parity
In Scandinavian countries, women occupy an important social place. And this is not new! Already, during the Viking Age, they were entrusted with heavy responsibilities. Denmark has always been a pioneer in the advancement of women's rights, as evidenced by the numerous conquests and rights acquired since the beginning of the 20th century, well before the neighboring countries. For example, divorce by mutual consent was authorized in 1790 (before France and the law of September 20, 1792). Danish women were also the first to participate in the Olympic Games in Athens in 1906. If their right of access to the throne is done in an egalitarian way for centuries, they obtained the right to vote only in 1915 (1944 in France).
Similarly, the principle of equality for entry into the civil service was established in 1921. In 1924, Nina Bang was the first woman in the world to become Minister of Education, but it was not until 2011 that Helle Thorning-Schmidt, leader of the Danish Social Democrats, became the first woman to hold the post of Prime Minister at age 44. Today, women have achieved real equality: the wage gap is smaller than elsewhere in Europe and strict legislation has been put in place to combat gender discrimination. Thanks to the many nurseries (70% of children aged 3 to 6 attend kindergartens), it is easier to return to work quickly after having a child.
Hygge: the recipe for happiness?
More than ever in fashion, the Danish hygge tends to invade our life habits. But what is hygge? Besides the name, which is difficult to pronounce, it is above all a state of mind. If its literal definition is close to the word "well-being" in Old Norse, it usually means creating a warm atmosphere and enjoying life.
So to feel good, start by lighting some candles! Overcast skies, light inside. Every year, Danes consume 6 kilos of candles per person. For the record, a killjoy is called a lyseslukker, which means "the one who puts out the candles"! Then, prepare a comforting hot drink, coffee, tea, Viennese chocolate, herbal tea, grog, mulled wine... that you will drink snuggled up under a blanket, in front of the fireplace is even better. 86% of Danes associate hot drinks with hygge. This makes them the fourth biggest coffee drinkers in the world. Then, eat what makes you happy. Chocolate, sweets, pastries...
Danes consume about 8 kg of sweets per year, twice as much as the European average. If sugar makes you feel guilty, cook with family or friends. The golden rule in Denmark: the more a dish is cooked, the more hygge it will be! So, get to work on your family recipes! Or better yet, pedal! Scientific studies have proven it: people who cycle to work are happier than those who use the car or public transport. That's why the city of Christiana (Copenhagen) invented the cargo bike. In addition to being an eco-friendly way to get around, you can take blankets, a picnic, music... everything you need to prolong the hygge even in summer!
Living the Danish way
The Danish art of living is perhaps above all an art of living in the city or the village, the building or the neighborhood, but first and foremost the apartment or the house. Two thirds of the Danes own their homes and they pay particular attention to their interiors. It is not for nothing that Danish design has become internationally known. The clean lines contribute to the timelessness of its characteristic style, they have given it its letters of nobility. This style is linked to the very intimate and permanent relationship maintained by the Nordic populations with nature, which is both a source of inspiration and raw material.
Light plays a major role in the layout. The windows are high, without shutters or curtains, and there is not a room without lamps or candles on the windowsills. An icon of Danish design, The Lantern, colloquially known as Le Klint, created by Karre Klint in 1944, still lights up private interiors as well as trendy places. The colors are soft and clear and the wood dominates (parquet and furniture). If there is one word to characterize these interiors, it is hyggeligt. Terraces, balconies and roofs are covered with vegetation. When the plants are not growing outside, they dress the lobbies in huge vertical gardens teeming with greenery, with the occasional taste for the exotic and the palm trees.
If you are interested in the Danish way of life, contact Meet the Danes, a concept created in 2001. You register on their website meetthedanes.com and you will be invited to share a meal cooked especially for you at the home of one of the member hosts, a moment of conviviality in the evening or during the weekend at lunchtime.
Living the Faroese way
The island life determines a reinforcement of the solidarity and the grouping. The art of living is more rustic. In the Faroe Islands, there are few scattered settlements, but rather pretty little hamlets with houses built of wood and very often painted a deep red. Don't be surprised to discover in the summer season, the inhabitants mowing the grass... of their roof! Indeed, strong of the Viking tradition, the style is still there. Low houses protected by imposing roofs covered with grass, well embedded in the ground to resist the violent changes of wind and rain. The fisherman's house rests on a whitewashed stone basement. Its walls are often tarred with a more or less dark brown, the window frames are painted in white to contrast and accentuate the luminosity, no shutters or shutters because the smallest ray of sunlight is welcome. And tradition dictates a thick grass roof.
Tórshavn is home to 20,000 people, or 40% of the archipelago's population. This growth has obviously necessitated urban planning, but the Faroese still prefer to live in family units in individual houses rather than in collective housing. They like to get together over a piece of dried fish and a raest lamb stew (i.e. fermented) or in a cosy pub to share a local beer.
Another way to integrate into Faroese culture is " heimablídni " pronounced "hi-mɑ-blyd-ne" which can be translated as "hospitality at home". A culinary experience around a delicious traditional meal in the home. To participate, the principle is simple, either inquire at the local tourist office or register on the website Eatlocal.fo.
