A welfare state?
So what's the secret behind this small country? Several factors explain this positive energy. Hard-working and industrious, Denmark is one of the richest countries in the world, enjoying stable economic growth with almost no unemployment. Thanks to its social-democratic policy, the State takes care of its inhabitants, which has a very reassuring effect. While healthcare, schools, universities and training courses are completely free of charge, each citizen pays between 60 and 80% in taxes. Here, the state and the individual are not in conflict. On the contrary, they have the same interests and are one and the same, which eliminates any balance of power. No doubt a legacy of Protestantism, which values the individual over the group! The absence of tension contributes to well-being..
And young people emerge stronger and more independent. By the age of 18, 90% of young people have left their parents' nest. There's less social pressure on them. They have the right to make mistakes, to change their course of study, and even to interrupt their studies to reflect for a few months and reorient themselves. Diplomas and social networks have less influence than a future employee's aptitudes!
This is made possible by a high-performance education system. The State spends a significant proportion of its budget on education: 8% of GDP (5% in France). School infrastructures are modern, with Internet access, numerous sports facilities and playgrounds... The teaching provided is much more flexible than the one we know: relations between teachers and students are less rigid (teachers are on a first-name basis) and continuous assessment avoids the stress of repeated examinations.
Few students choose to go to university straight from the baccalauréat: they often travel to develop their personality and broaden their range of experiences, while taking advantage of a points system to gain easier access to university. Once enrolled, they are automatically awarded a scholarship for five years, regardless of social class: the equivalent of 500 euros a month! Alternative education also plays an important role: many evening classes are subsidized by the state, and private schools(højskole) are very popular, offering a host of activities designed to perfect knowledge in a specific field before continuing one's education in higher education establishments.
Denmark is also a pioneer in the field of social security. The organization of public assistance dates back to 1849, the date of the first Danish Constitution. Even then, a minimum level of assistance was guaranteed to the sick 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 side of the system, regional and municipal authorities own and manage hospital facilities, and finance all health professionals and private practitioners under contract. All residents of Denmark are entitled to health care. Medical and hospital care is free, as is dental and optical care. Drug consumption is lower than in any other European country.
Family life
In Denmark, the arrival of a baby entitles the mother to 64 weeks of parental leave (32 weeks for each parent). Four weeks for the mother before the birth and 12 weeks afterwards, the other 48 weeks are divided between the parents as they wish! However, they are only compensated up to the 24th week. For the remaining weeks, it depends on the company or the status of each parent. It's enough to make you dream! Since 2017, the government has embarked on a shock campaign to encourage fathers to take advantage of this social acquis and their newborn child. Some employers are really playing the game. 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 week is 37 hours, the days start very early, the lunch break flirts with the half-hour mark, but by 4 p.m. all the offices are empty. It's time to pick up the kids from school. Here, there's no need to have a babysitter at home while you wait for your parents to return, or to run off to the crèche with your eyes fixed on the clock, as many companies have on-site childcare facilities. And that's no mean feat, especially as 80% of Danish women work. That's 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, and parks abound with play areas. We take them everywhere with us (especially on bicycles, on the back or in the front cargo bike). Cinemas organize special screenings to enable parents to live a normal life. In 1997, Parliament passed a law enabling parents to lodge a complaint against spanking!
Another important family factor is the mixing of generations. The weight of tradition brings even the most disunited families together around small events or traditional festivities, as shown by the importance of birthday celebrations and Christmas festivities. Couples are getting married later and later: at 33 for men, 30 for women. As for divorce, the separation rate seems to have peaked in the 1970s: one in two marriages compared with one in three today. As a result, the rate of cohabitation is very high: one couple in five.
Family and marriage also concern the gay community. Since 1989, homosexual men and women have been able to enter into civil marriage (a world first), with the same tax and inheritance rights as heterosexual couples. Since March 2009, adoption by same-sex couples has been legal, and in 2012, the law authorized marriage in the Lutheran State Church. Over 7,500 unions have been celebrated to date.
These new statutes reflect the degree of tolerance shown by 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 position. And that's nothing new! As far back as the Viking Age, women were entrusted with heavy responsibilities. Denmark has always been a pioneer in the advancement of women's rights, as evidenced by the many conquests and rights acquired since the early 20th century, well ahead of 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 take part in the Olympic Games in Athens in 1906. Although women have had equal access to the throne for centuries, they only gained the right to vote in 1915 (1944 in France).
Similarly, the principle of equal access to the civil service was established in 1921. In 1924, Nina Bang became the world's first woman Minister of Education, but it was not until 2011 that Helle Thorning-Schmidt, leader of the Danish Social Democrats, became the first woman Prime Minister at the age of 44. Today, women have achieved real equality: the pay gap is smaller than elsewhere in Europe, and tough legislation has been introduced to combat gender discrimination. Thanks to a large number of nurseries (70% of children aged 3 to 6 attend kindergartens), it's easier to return to work quickly after having a child.
Hygge: the recipe for happiness?
More fashionable than ever, Danish hygge is taking over our lifestyle. But what is hygge? Apart from the difficult-to-pronounce name, it's above all a state of mind. While its literal definition comes 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. Just so you know, 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... which you can drink snuggled up under a blanket, or even better, in front of the fireplace. 86% of Danes associate hot drinks with hygge. Which makes them the fourth biggest coffee drinkers in the world. Then, eat what makes you happy. Chocolate, sweets, pastries...
Danes consume around 8 kg of sweets a 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 longer a dish is simmered, the more hygge it will be! So get cooking with your family! Or better still, pedal your bike! Scientific studies have proven it: people who cycle to work are happier than those who use cars or public transport. That's why the city of Christiana (Copenhagen) has invented the cargo bike. As well as being an eco-friendly way to get around, you can take on board blankets, picnics, 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 a city or village, a building or a neighborhood, but first and foremost in an apartment or a house. 2/3 of Danes own their own homes, and pay particular attention to their interiors. It's not for nothing that Danish design has made a name for itself internationally. The clean lines of Danish design contribute to the timelessness of this distinctive style, and have given it its letters of nobility. This style is linked to the Nordic people's intimate and enduring relationship with nature, which is both a source of inspiration and a raw material.
Light plays a major role in the layout. The windows are high, without shutters or curtains, and there isn't a room without lamps or candles on the windowsills. An icon of Danish design, The Lantern lamp, 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 light, and wood dominates (flooring and furniture). If there's one word to characterize these interiors, it's hyggeligt. Terraces, balconies and roofs are covered with vegetation. When plants aren't growing outside, they're dressing lobbies in huge vertical gardens teeming with greenery, with the occasional taste for the exotic and palm trees.
If you'd like to experience life the Danish way, contact Meet the Danes, a concept created in 2001. Register on their website meetthedanes.com and you'll 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 at lunchtime on weekends.
Living the Faroese way
Island life means a stronger sense of solidarity and togetherness. The art of living is more rustic. In the Faroe Islands, there are few scattered settlements, but rather pretty little hamlets with wooden houses often painted a deep red. Don't be surprised to see the locals mowing the grass... on their roofs! Indeed, with its strong Viking tradition, the style is still very much alive. Low houses protected by imposing grass-covered roofs, set deep into the ground to withstand violent changes in wind and rain. The fisherman's house rests on a whitewashed stone basement. The walls are often tarred a darker or darker brown, and the window frames are painted a contrasting white to accentuate the brightness. There are no shutters or blinds, as the smallest ray of sunlight is welcome. And, tradition dictates, a thick grass roof.
Tórshavn is home to 13,200 inhabitants, almost 10% of the archipelago's population. This growth has obviously necessitated urban planning, but the Faroese still prefer to live in family units in detached houses rather than in collective housing. We like to get together over a piece of dried fish and a raest (i.e. fermented) lamb stew (yep!) or in a cosy pub to share a local beer.
Another way of integrating into Faroese culture is " heimablídni ", pronounced "hi-mɑ-blyd-ne", which translates as "hospitality at home". A culinary experience based around a delicious traditional meal at a local's home. To take part, the principle is simple: either enquire at your local tourist office or register on the Eatlocal.fo website.
