Why Is Denmark Better Than The United States

We were given the assignment to choose a country that we know nothing about and write paper on it. That meant choosing from 196 very different countries. While doing research on which country I should choose, I kept coming across polls showing which countries where the happiest and most financially stable. The country that continued to make the list year after year was Denmark. Why was Denmark so happy? What made them better than the United States? Denmark is a country in Northern Europe and is located at the northern tip of Germany. It is home to a population of around 5,700,000, which is relatively small in comparison to the United States. Although Denmark is small, it has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world. The average household income in Denmark makes around $60,643. Denmark also has the world's highest minimum wage at $20 an hour. Denmark has no minimum wage laws but it does have very strong unions that are able to negotiate for better terms for its workers. For example, if you worked at McDonalds in Denmark, you would make $20 an hour, up to 5 weeks paid vacation, paid maternity/paternity leave, and have access to a pension plan. In comparison to the United States, I can already start to see …show more content…
In World Economic Forum's yearly report that measures gender equality, Denmark often ranks among the top 10 countries in the world. Although no country has yet to achieve gender equality, Denmark and other Nordic countries such as Sweden and Norway are leading the way. A major contributing factor to that is the strong presence in female leadership in these countries. This is due to Denmark and other Nordic countries introducing voluntary gender quotas into their political parties back in 1970. This resulted in high number of female political representatives, so much that the quotas have since been dropped. Denmark currently has its first female Prime Minister, Helle