We have a lot to learn from Denmark
**Hygge**, lykke , copenhappy : there are many words that allude to the constant danish bliss state , which tops the international meters of well-being and happiness year after year. But there is much more we can learn from our Nordic neighbors; all this is what, like it or not, they do better than us:
BE HAPPY
Let's start at the beginning, with the fundamental: happiness. We already said it, Denmark usually occupies the highest positions in international rankings in this regard. This year, for example, it holds third place in the World Happiness Report , published by the United Nations, but for many others, has led the first in all kinds of measurements. The reasons may have a lot to do with what you will read next...
BE ECOLOGICAL
In Copenhagen, the country's capital, more bicycles circulate than cars and there is an ecological awareness that led it to be European Green Capital in 2014 thanks, among other things, to promoting policies such as that no citizen should live more than 15 minutes walk from a green area. In addition, Denmark is the country of the European Union with the highest percentage of electricity production through wind power, with 40.6% in 2014 compared to 7.9% on average in the rest of the countries, and the fifth in production through renewable energies, with 55.9%.
Denmark prioritizes ecology
As if that were not enough, the land that saw the birth of the groundbreaking restaurant No mom and his New Nordic Cuisine Manifesto -which was committed to developing its own gastronomy based on zero kilometer Scandinavian products- has set itself the goal of creating a food model based on organic plantations, local and nearby.
SUPPORT FAMILIES
Having babies in Denmark is a pleasure. The reason? Maternity leave can be taken up to four weeks before the baby is born, and up to 52 weeks later (13 months) ; the couple can take two, and split 32 with the mom. During most of this time, parents will most likely receive their full salary, thanks to various commitments made by companies and the State. The time to leave work is usually around 16:00 , so it is easy to reconcile work and family life; in fact, the nurseries that close later do so at five pm . For each child, the state grants a subsidy of about 140 euros until they turn 18.
Although perhaps the most interesting is the family culture in the country, which makes the cities perfectly adapted to the little ones. There are even movie passes designed for families: they are called BabyBio , take place in the morning, and in them the lights are not completely turned off and the sound is kept lower. Babies can enter or stay in the lobby, where there are staff who take care of them.
Families have it easier in Denmark than in Spain
PAYING TAXES
Denmark has one of the highest tax rates in the world; their average income is 39,000 euros a year, and of this, citizens pay almost the Four. Five% to the State. From 61,500, the payment is 52%. Given the practically non-existent corruption in the country, this income reverts to the inhabitants who, moreover, are happy to contribute: according to a Gallup survey carried out in 2014 and collected in Lykke, in search of the happiest people in the world , almost nine out of ten Danes say that it is.
Thanks to its tax system, the citizens of Denmark enjoy a free high quality education from kindergarten to university - in fact, the older ones receive about 645 euros per month for study) . In addition, to the family benefits already mentioned above, as well as to universal health coverage and other usual rights of welfare states, other more particular ones are added, such as absence of tolls in all the country.
DO NOT BE CORRUPT AT ALL
Denmark tends to score very low on corruption levels, so much so that it always ranks at the bottom of this index. In 2018, for example, it was the second least corrupt country in the world according to the non-governmental organization Transparency International, which publishes each year Corruption Perception Index . Spain, meanwhile, ranks 41st among the 180 measured.
In Denmark you pay taxes with pleasure
This trait is also related to their very high levels of confidence : we are talking about a country in which it is normal leave babies in cars taking a nap outside the cafeteria where one is having a drink. From a country where there is unguarded roadside fruit stalls, in which anyone can take what they want and leave the appropriate amount in a pot.
Such a principle of trust governs that even the ** Christiansborg Palace , ** which houses the executive, legislative and judicial power of the country, has part of its facilities open to the public. Thus, whoever wants it, can freely see how public administrations work.
In short, we are talking about Denmark being the state that higher percentage of trust has in others, according to the report of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development **(OECD)** of 2011 Panorama of society. Social indicators, with a 89%. Spain is in thirteenth place, with a percentage of 62%. It is also the fifth country safer in the world according to the **Global Peace Index (GPI) ** published in 2018 (our country is in 30th, below others such as Botswana, Romania or Chile).
BET EVERYTHING ON DESIGN
Arne Jacobsen, Verner Panton , Poul Henningsen, Børge Mogensen or Kaare Klint are just some of the prominent names in the Danish design scene, which has greatly contributed to changing the appearance of interiors around the planet. And of the exteriors, thanks to the novel concepts introduced by all the previous ones, but also to personalities such as the architect Jorn Utzon, Pritzker prize.
The Wave, a tribute to the geography of the area in Denmark
Today, the characteristic Danish design is already part of the DNA of the country, and restaurants, shops, public facilities and houses show off a particular ** Nordic beauty, as friendly as it is simple and comfortable **. After all, it was in Denmark that the hygge , that quality that brings together everything that is comfortable and welcoming and that arouses a feeling of joy and well-being in people, especially when they spend time with their loved ones.
WORK LESS
According to the OECD, the Danes enjoy one of the best work-life balances in the world, second only to Germany. Thus, during 2017, each Dane worked an average of 1,408 hours, while we Spaniards were in the office almost 300 more: 1687, to be exact. And we say from the office because the telecommuting , which sounds so strange in our country, is very common in Denmark.
That, however, did not translate into less money, but quite the opposite: the GDP Per Capita of the Danish country was that same year of €50,800 , while Spain stayed in the middle: €25,100.
HAVE FREEDOM AND EQUALITY
Freedom, for example, press , basic for the smooth running of a country. According to the index prepared each year Reporters Without Borders , Denmark ranks number nine -Spain, 31-. It also highlights the sexual freedom: was, in 1989, the first country in the world to legislate a civil union law, approved by all parties in the Danish chamber. In 2009, the child adoption by couples of same sex , and in 2012, the marriage between same-sex couples.
At 16:00, everyone home
Also, Denmark is the second best country in the world to be a woman According to the latest ranking of US News & World Report (Spain is in 18th place): Its pay gap is around 16%, and its glass ceiling seems lower. An example? Already in 1924, nina bang she became the first woman to be a minister in a country with a parliamentary democracy.
In addition, the fathers are very involved in the upbringing of the children, and not only because of the possibility of sharing their time off with the mother; It is also common for them to take advantage of reduced days at work. Likewise, it is the men of the world who more share household chores with women, again according to OECD data from 2018. On the other hand, since 1973, all Danes have the right to free abortion, without having to give any explanation, excuse or justification if you are pregnant for 12 weeks or less.
And speaking of freedom: in Copenhagen the existence of Christiania , 34 hectares of former military barracks occupied in the seventies by families with a hippy spirit, who later joined the social movement Provo . This philosophy, influenced anarchist , proposes, from humor and pacifism, attack traditional state structures , making effective measures such as the marijuana legalization or the fight against pollution. Choose the sunset to visit it, and walk or pedal leisurely (cars are not allowed here) through this place that has been allowed dream of a better life, more communal, more based on freedom and that, based on perseverance, has achieved it. An oasis in the middle of the city that calls for a new way of thinking and experience public space and that has an energy difficult to forget.
Equality in Denmark is a reality