A “people’s pension” was established in Norway in 1967 to ensure each citizen upon retirement a standard of living reasonably close to the level that the individual had achieved during his or her working life. The pension covers old age and cases of disability or loss of support. The premiums are paid by the individual members, employers, municipalities, and the state. The basic pension is adjusted every year, regardless of the plan’s income. Supplementary pensions vary according to income and pension-earning time. The state pays a family allowance for all children up to 18 years of age.
Norway ranks among the top 10 countries of the world in GNP per capita and has one of the world’s highest standards of living. Since the 1950s Norwegians have spent a smaller share of their income than formerly on food, beverages, and tobacco. Travel and leisure activities have increased their share rapidly, however, as have such household goods as electrical appliances. During the 1960s the number of automobiles per inhabitant increased dramatically, from 1 in 21 persons having a automobile to 1 in 3; it now is about 1 in 2. By law, Norwegians are guaranteed 25 vacation days every year. Working hours may not exceed 9 hours a day or 40 hours per week. A five-day workweek had become the rule by the late 1960s.
Norway has pursued progressive social policies. In 1993 it became the second country to legally recognize unions between homosexual partners. Indeed, in 2002 the conservative finance minister officially registered his partnership and met little public opposition. In 2009 same-sex marriage was legalized. Housing
Until the 1970s Norway felt the housing shortage created by World War II. The shortage was aggravated further by high costs in the densely populated urban areas. But housing standards have improved tremendously, and most families live in houses built since the war—a majority of them financed by state loans on favourable terms. In densely populated areas, particularly in and around Oslo, housing prices soared beginning in the early 1990s but then fell precipitously in 2007–08 as a result of the global economic downturn, only to recover later in the decade. Education
School attendance is mandatory for 10 years, from age 6 to 16, with an optional 11th year. Mandatory subjects include Norwegian, religion, mathematics, music, physical education, science, and English. Optional courses in the arts and in other foreign languages, as well as vocational training in such areas as office skills, agriculture, and seamanship, are available in the upper grades. With three years of additional high school, students may take the examinations leading to university study.
A small percentage of college and university students study abroad. Institutions of higher education in Norway have been expanded to accommodate the doubling of the student population that occurred between the early 1980s and the mid-1990s. Norway’s seven universities include four traditional universities—the University of Oslo (established 1811), the University of Bergen (1946), the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim (with roots in the Norwegian Institute of Technology, founded 1910), and the University of Tromsø (1968)—along with the University of Stavanger, the Norwegian University of Life Sciences in Ås, and the University of Agder. There are also six university-level specialized institutions (including the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration in Bergen and the Norwegian Academy of Music) as well as about two dozen university colleges that predominantly offer three-year programs of study.
Many students attend vocational schools, and a few thousand students attend folk high schools (generally boarding schools offering a one-year course designed for 17-year-old students from rural areas). The great majority of Norway’s schools are state-run and free; however, there are also private, fee-charging schools at every level. All students are eligible for government loans. Lifelong learning and continuing education programs for adults are also important components of the Norwegian education system.
Science and research have limited means in a small country. Nevertheless, the Foundation for Scientific and Industrial Research at the Norwegian Institute of Technology (SINTEF) was created in 1950 as an independent organization at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology to stimulate research and develop cooperation with other public and private research institutions and with private industry. SINTEF is financed by the state and by payments for its services. In the natural sciences, reflecting the country’s intimacy with an overpowering physical environment, the individual efforts of Norwegians have won particular acclaim. Jan Christensen The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Cultural life
Located on the outskirts of Europe and with much of its inland population almost completely isolated until the 20th century, Norway has been able to preserve much of its old folk culture, including a large body of legends concerning haugfolket (pixies), underjordiske (subterraneans), and vetter (supernatural beings). On the other hand, as seafarers and traders, the Norwegians have always received fresh cultural stimuli from abroad. A number of Norwegians have made important contributions in return, notably the playwright Henrik Ibsen (1828–1906) and the composer Edvard Grieg (1843–1907). The Norwegian recipients of the Nobel Prize for Literature are Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson (1903), Knut Hamsun (1920), and Sigrid Undset (1928).
Grieg, EdvardNorwegian composer Edvard Grieg.Photos.com/Thinkstock
Daily life and social customs
Although Norway is in most ways very modern, it has maintained many of its traditions. Storytelling and folklore, in which trolls play a prominent role, are still common. On festive occasions folk costumes are worn and folk singing is performed—especially on Grunnlovsdagen (Constitution Day), commonly called Syttende Mai (May 17), the date of its celebration. Other popular festivals include Sankhansaften (Midsummer’s Eve), Olsok (St. Olaf’s Day), and Jul (Christmas), the last of which is marked by family feasts whose fare varies from region to region but that are traditionally marked by the presence of seven kinds of cake.
The national costume, the bunad, is characterized by double-shuttle woven wool skirts or dresses for women, accompanied by jackets with scarves. Colourful accessories (e.g., purses and shoes) complete the outfit. The bunad for men generally consists of a three-piece suit that also is very colourful and heavily embroidered. Traditionally, Norwegians had two bunader, one for special occasions and one for everyday wear.
The country’s natural landscape—its Arctic environment and vast coasts—has shaped Norway’s customs and history, as outdoor activities are central to the life of most Norwegians. In particular, the country’s cuisine reflects its environment. Fish dishes such as laks (salmon) and torsk (cod) are popular. Lutefisk, cod soaked in lye, is common during the Christmas holidays. Rømmegrøt (sour-cream porridge), pinnekjøtt (dried mutton ribs), reker (boiled shrimp), meatcakes, lefse (griddlecakes), geitost (a sweet semihard cheese made from cow’s or goat’s milk), and reindeer, moose, elk, and other wildlife also are popular traditional delicacies. The strong liquor called aquavit (also spelled akevitt), made of fermented grain or potatoes, is also widely used.
In northern Norway the Sami maintain a distinct culture. Long known as reindeer herders, they maintain their own national dress. While many Sami have modernized and few continue to practice traditional nomadic life, a variation of that lifestyle continues. Where once the whole family followed the herd, now only the men do, with women and children remaining behind in towns and villages. Sami Easter festivals include reindeer races and chanting (joik). The arts