Denmark and Australia - Cross Societal Differences

There are many societal differences between these two countries. Having lived in both for extended periods, I’d like to share what I’ve noticed. Denmark is known to be a progressive, open-minded, and egalitarian society; this is definitely reflected in these examples. The Danes are also proud traditionalists and enjoy the system that is a result of centuries of development.

As an Australian, I personally find it more difficult to adapt back to Australian culture and society compared to the times when I’ve moved to Copenhagen. But fortunately, we also live in an amazing country nature and lifestyle-wise.

This piece is not meant to be provocative, just a mere observation after living, working, and being a part of the education system in both countries. I’ve also lived in Berlin and London, but my strong interest in Scandinavian culture and history, as well as the true experience, makes me believe I’m more qualified to focus on this area at the moment.

This is only a minute observation from my experience. Enjoy.

Work-life balance:

This is a significant difference. In Australia, it is very normal to hear someone comment on how many hours they work as though it's a competition, how few days off they get, tell someone else how lucky they are when they get a holiday or day off, or even brag about working for so long without time off. Denmark is a far less comparative society. In Denmark, this type of attitude is considered a weakness. It’s not worn as a badge of honor to work hard, to work many hours or days, or weeks. The Danes will laugh at these types of comments and consider you irrelevant at this stage. In Australia – in particular, the traditionalist mindset will still be to talk about this as a competitive win.

Competitive mindset:

This may originate from colonization in Australia by the English and the hierarchical system brought with it – but the two societies are polar opposite on this topic. The Danes are egalitarian and will seldom waste any time trying to ‘climb a ladder’ or be part of a certain social group or class. This mature approach means everyone is accepted for who they are, not what job they do or what school they may have attended. In Australia – I don’t even think I need to make a comment on this – hierarchy, hierarchy, hierarchy, power, power, control, and even more power.

Trust:

Yes, Australians are friendly and willing to help. This is admirable and a significant part of our identity and culture that I hope stays forever. The Danes are more reserved and will see it as an invasion of privacy to interrupt one’s conversation or sometimes even to willingly help, as this may cause more of a problem. It’s nice that Australians are more willing to help. The Danes will generally take a long time to trust or befriend someone, but once they do, the level of trust and inclusion is amazing.

Tolerance:

The Danes will generally need some alcohol or a celebration to loosen up and converse freely. But once this happens they’re a very open and even curious bunch. In general, Denmark is a tolerant society with little regard for age, hierarchy, monarchy, gender, patriarchy, matriarchy, and self-importance just to name a few. It’s a much easier society just to be yourself without judgment. No doubt Australia still has some historical beliefs that tend to interrupt the ability to take the ego out of everyday life.

Humour:

The Danes will more often rely on natural observations and stories with their humor rather than conventional joke-telling. The Aussies love to tell jokes and stories. The Danes will be careful not to tell stories about others though, as this could be offensive to the person. The law of Jante in Denmark also states that you’re never to laugh at us. But the Danes don’t shy away from making fun towards other nationalities and have a quirky sense of humor.

Workforce:

Naturally, I can’t speak for all work environments. In a school setting, communication, trust, and equality are incredibly important. I found the Danes were passionate about everyone getting an equal say and no one being of authority. Management/administration would openly expect to be challenged and ideas were treated with an open mind; they would never refer to themselves as being in a position of leadership. It can be frustrating that a decision can often be left unmade, but not as frustrating as one or a group of people thinking it’s within their power to make all decisions and take the power away from employees.

It is often referred to as a choice to go down a management path in Denmark, rather than an option for a ‘better’ or more ‘educated’ employee or 'ladder climber'. Again, I think this may be directly related to colonisation in Australia and the system that came with it.

There are many more societal differences, and yes, also some similarities. I hope you enjoyed my observations.