Norwegian Culture
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Created on June 14, 2022
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Norway
Jakub Stepaniak, III FA AT
Surface culture
- Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is known for its mountains, beautiful fjords, and some of the world’s best landscapes.
- Harald V of the House of Glücksburg is the current King of Norway.
- From the eighth to the tenth century, the wider Scandinavian region was the source of Vikings.
- Norwegians tend to have a strong sense of history and civic engagement and on special occasions, many Norwegians wear traditional clothing, or bunad.
- In Norwegian culture, some of the most important values are tolerance, respect and equality.
- The culture of Norway is closely linked to the country's history and geography.
Surface culture
Norway is usually ranked amongst the world’s most safe and peaceful countries.
Norwegians Are Barbaric Vikings
Some statistics say up to 70-80% of the Norwegian population has these stereotypical features
Some stereotypes
Norwegians Are Informal
TRUE
TRUE
False
False
Norwegians are not big on please and thank you, but they value personal space and individualism, both physical and emotional.
Norwegians Are Rude
They definitely are!
All Norwegians Are Blonde With Blue Eyes
Norwegian culture can be described as a low context one because:
They keep their privacy
They do handshakes very often
Low context culture
Norwegians talk to one another directly
- Norway is often said to belong to the so-called “Scandinavian cluster.”
- The hallmark of Norwegian cultural identity practices within a Scandinavian context was seen to be higher gender egalitarianism. The most pronounced Norwegian cultural values within a Nordic framework were also lower power distance and higher humane orientation values.
- Norwegians work hard, but they also value a balance between work and life. They place a high priority on family relationships. In addition, many Norwegians feel close ties to nature and enjoy spending time outdoors. Favorite pastimes include skiing, hiking, and boating.
Cultural identity
- Norway, a country of only 5.3 million people, has an immigrant population of about 800,094 as of March 2021, and that is nearly 1/5 of the entire nation.
- A look at the demographic data from 2019 shows that two of the top ten countries with immigrants to Norway are African (Somalia and Eritrea), two are Middle Eastern (Syria and Iraq), and three of the top five are European (Sweden, Poland, and Lithuania), accounting for a large number of immigrant workers. These are the top ten countries for a variety of reasons that range from labor to asylum seekers.
- The outward diversity of Norway, though, does not necessarily equal a completely egalitarian state. Even though about a fifth of Norway’s population is immigrant or the children of immigrants, the ruling government lacks diverse representation.
Racial identity
- Over five million people live in Norway, the overwhelming majority of which are ethnic Norwegians. However, the Sami form an important ethnic minority in the far north.
- Many youths in multicultural schools have trouble balancing multiple ethnic and cultural identities and heritages, such as the Norwegian culture and their families’ culture, and making decisions regarding ethnic identity and cultural belongingness.
- Because immigration has been tightly controlled, immigrants from non-Scandinavian countries have not constituted a large or visible minority until recently.
Ethnic identity
- Men and women are considered equal.
- Norwegian women expect to be treated with respect in the office.
- Women may take up to one year's maternity leave at 80% pay or 10 months at 100% pay. If a woman decides to stay home with pre-school children she receives a monthly stipend from the government.
- Many of the roles traditionally reserved for men, such as the military and politics, are now integrated. The armed services are sexually integrated, although the majority of service personnel are men.
Gender roles
- Norwegian culture tends to be extremely child-centered.
- Childhood lasts longer than it does in many European countries, with adolescence not ending before graduation from high school.
- Since numerous mothers are employed, many children are socialized in child care facilities, either privately or through the local authority.
- Paid babysitters, usually young girls, may provide child care in cities when grandmothers are not available.
Children
- LGBTQ+ rights in Norway rank among the highest in the world.
- In 1981, Norway became one of the first countries in the world to enact an anti-discrimination law explicitly including sexual orientation.
- Same-sex marriage, adoption, and assisted insemination treatments for lesbian couples have been legal since 2009.
- In 2016, Norway became the fourth country in Europe to pass a law allowing the change of legal gender for transgender people based on self-determination.
- Much like the other Nordic countries, Norway is frequently referred to as one of the world's most LGBTQ+ friendly nations, with high societal acceptance and tolerance of LGBTQ+ people.
- Recent opinion polls have found very high levels of support for same-sex marriage among the Norwegian public.
LGBTQ+
- A person who wants to get married must be at least 18 years old. If someone marries in Norway and one or both of the parties are under the age of 18, each of the spouses may demand that the marriage be dissolved.
- Children and young people in Norway have a right and an obligation to complete primary and lower secondary education, and adults are also entitled to primary and lower secondary education.
- Pupils start primary school in the calendar year when they turn 6, and they normally complete lower secondary school in the year they turn 16.
- The majority of students are under the age of 25 - 52 percent, but Norway’s overall numbers have higher percentages of students older than 25, and over 30.
- The retirement age is 67. You may draw retirement pension from the month after you turn 62. To draw retirement pension before the age of 67, you must have sufficient earnings.
Age identity
- Men and women are considered equal. That means it is expected that they do the same kind of jobs, work just as much, earn the same amount of money, have a shared responsibility in the house and have a shared responsibility for the upbringing of their children.
- Parents tend to be overprotective for their children, hovewer their relationship is based on trust and caring for directness in communication.
- People in Norway rarely use the polite or formal form of address to their employers; the use of the informal pronoun for personal address is almost universal. Also, independence and self-sufficiency are valued. Arriving late without prior notice can damage a potential relationship.
Roles identity
- Norwegian people are largely optimistic. They typically don't complain too much, and generally have a positive outlook on life.
- Bragging about oneself and one’s skills is usually seen as negative in Norwegian culture, since people are not supposed to see themselves as superior to others. This mindset is called “janteloven”, and even though it is joked about, it is not entirely false.
- Norwegians are modest people. Honesty and politeness are core values, and people expect each other to ask nicely if they want something.
- On the other side, Norwegians tend to talk to each other in a very direct way and appreciate honest and straight forward communication. Not many subjects are taboo, and it’s usually okay to speak about anything.
Individual personalities
- Norwegians have a saying that they are born with skis on their feet. This shows just how deeply skiing is ingrained in their culture. Children are introduced to skiing at a very young age. Skiing is even part of the curriculum in schools.
- Although some people find this strange and even rude, Norwegian people consider it their version of politeness - if they do not know someone, they prefer keeping their mouths shut.
- Norwegians mostly speak their native language. That is not to say they do not speak other languages. Some can speak up to 4 languages. Apart from Norwegian, one of the most widely spoken languages is English.
- Norway is a secular nation. Although about 70 percent of Norwegians identify as members of the church of Norway, only 2 percent of them attend church regularly.
Individual personalities
- Norway is one of the wealthiest and most advanced economies in the world. In 2021, Norway's GDP per capita was 89k dollars, one of the highest in the world.
- Norwegian citizens enjoy free education.
- It continues to rank highest in the happiness index along with Sweden and Denmark.
- In Norway, 64% of 18-24 year-olds are still in full- or part-time education or training at either upper secondary or tertiary level.
- In Norway, the employment rate in January 2022 was 69.3 per cent.
Social class
Here are some statements from the Norwegian People's Aid Ethical Standards:
- There shall be no form of forced labour, slave labour or involuntary work.
- The minimum age of workers shall not be less than 15 years and in line with the national minimum age for employment, or the minimum age for compulsory schooling, with the highest age as applicable.
- There shall be no discrimination in terms of employment, remuneration, training, promotion, dismissal or retirement based on ethnicity, caste, religion, age, disability, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, trade unionism or political affiliation.
- Physical abuse or punishment, or threat of physical abuse, shall be prohibited. The same applies to sexual or other abuse and other forms of humiliation.
Ethics & morality
- Wages of workers for a normal working week shall at least be in line with national minimum wage regulations or industry standards, whichever is the highest. Wages shall always be sufficient to cover basic needs, including some savings.
- All workers are entitled to an employment contract in a language they understand.
- Moreover, in situations of armed conflict, businesses should respect standards of international humanitarian law.
- Animal welfare shall be respected. Measures should be taken to minimise negative impacts on the welfare of farmed and working animals.
Ethics & morality
- At first, Norwegians may seem shy. They are reserved people, and it can take some time for them to get comfortable around new people and new settings.
- Bragging about oneself and one’s skills is usually seen as negative in Norwegian culture, since people are not supposed to see themselves as superior to others. This mindset is called “janteloven”.
- Honesty and politeness are core values, and people expect each other to ask nicely if they want something.
- Norwegians tend to talk to each other in a very direct way and appreciate honest and straightforward communication.
- Not many subjects are taboo, and it’s usually okay to speak about anything.
Manners & etiquette
- Greetings are casual, with a firm handshake, direct eye contact, and a smile.
- Norwegians are egalitarian and casual; they often introduce themselves with their first name only.
- In some circumstances people may use the honorific title "Herr" (Mr.) or "Fru" (Mrs.) and their surname.
- You can wait to be invited before moving to first names although most people will start with this.
- Shake hands and say good-bye individually when arriving or departing.
- Shake hands with people on a first come first served basis.
Manners & etiquette
- In a research on facial expressions Norwegians showed higher display ratings for anger and sadness, and higher concealment ratings for anger and anxiety.
- Display ratings were much higher, and concealment ratings much lower in relation to close persons than in relation to "other persons."
- Eye contact should be maintained while communicating.
Facial expressions
- Not much to say about it, but Norwegians do not have many distinguishing features when it comes to their "physical behaviour".
- Body language is quite minimal but do not take the lack of any overt signs of interest as disinterest. Reserve is a highly prized characteristic and it would be foolish to interpret lack of emotion as a sign of boredom or as lack of attention.
- Norwegians tend to remain an arm’s length away with those they know; the distance may be even greater with strangers or business partners, personal space – influence on seating and furniture arrangement.
- Even among friends, physical contact is not usual. There is little personal touching except between relatives and close friends. Do not stand close to a Norwegian, back slap or put your arm around anyone.
Kinetics
- Norway's population is ageing. However, a new report looking at the social and economic wellbeing of older people reveals that Norway is the happiest place to age, followed by Sweden, Switzerland, and Canada.
- The authors of the report note that Norway claimed the top spot because it has well-developed organizations for the elderly, a long history of state welfare and strong social media campaigns that create public awareness of age-related issues.
- In the Scandinavian countries, and also in Norway, care for the elderly is primarily a municipal responsibility. Nursing services provided in the home are free in Norway, but a fee is charged for practical assistance.
- Also, older Norwegians have high-income security through a generous universal pension system.
Elders
- Today Norway is a very secular country. There is religious freedom, and most of the world's religions are represented here – and all are welcome.
- The Church of Norway is Lutheran, but Catholicism and other Christian denominations are also widespread. Islam is one of the largest religions in Norway.
- Since Norway historically is a Christian-Lutheran country, the constitution states that the Norwegian culture and laws should reflect Christian-Lutheran values and humanitarian principles.
- The Christian traditions are also reflected in national holidays like Christmas and Easter.
Beliefs
- The level of English knowledge is not always great, especially among the elderly.
- Overcoming cultural differences is significantly harder for Norwegians than overcoming language differences.
- There are considerable differences in the importance of factors, such as establishing personal relationships and intimacy as the basis for trust.
- Norwegians do not think it is disrespectful to point out what they regard as an error.
- New employees will seldom be told what is expected of them, instead they will get minimal guidance, instructions, feedback and follow-up. In Norwegian workplaces, there is a tendency to simply assume that things are okay unless otherwise stated.
Barriers in communication
- There was a research which indicated that international managers experienced challenges in all areas focused on – communication, hierarchy, and trust.
- The main findings were that Norwegian employees were very direct in communication. This caused challenges where Norwegians were understood as rude.
- Other challenges were that different languages prolonged implementation processes of new strategies, and Norwegians’ reserved body language was difficult to read and caused misunderstandings.
- Cultural hierarchy differences caused challenges related to consensus management. Norwegian employees demanded to participate in managements’ decisions and this prolonged decision-making process.
- Lastly, challenges caused by differences in trust were related to Norwegians’ deal-focused behaviour, and the structuring and planning in the companies got in the way for bonding and trust building.
Barriers in communication
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References