Denmark Fairy Tales: Denmark does not have a 33 hour work week
TL;DR Summary
- Part 1: Denmark is the world’s happiest nation because of the following reasons (Not true)
- Part 2: Denmark has a $20/hour minimum wage (No, it does not).
- Part 3: Denmark has a 33 hour work week (No, it does not)
- Part 4: Denmark has Free University ? Yes but read why – it’s not why you think
- Part 5: Denmark has Free Childcare? No, it does not – this claim is a lie
- Part 6: Denmark has Free Healthcare, sort of
- Part 7: We should all be like Denmark, remember?
- Part 8: Is Denmark a socialist country?
- Denmark does not have a 33 hour work week. This assertion is false (a lie).
- The first 3 assertions on this propaganda poster are false or cleverly misleading. The next 3 are true, but probably not for the reasons you are thinking…. stay tuned.
33 HOUR WORK WEEK
The 33 hour work week is a trick as the targeted U.S. viewer naturally compares this to a 40 hour work week. When dealing with propaganda, you must ask, “What is actually being measured?”
33 hours is the average number of hours worked per week calculated from the average hours of combined FULL and PART-TIME workers. The comparable figure for the U.S. in June of 2015 is 34.5 hours! (Updated data at the US Bureau of Labor Statistics). In 2006, in Denmark, the figure was also 34.5 hours, but due to an increase in part time workers, the average hours worked per week has gone down slightly.
“the Danish population as a whole spends more time at the labour market than any other Western nation“. ….
“the shortest formal working weeks in Europe equivalent to around 1,600 hours a year per worker against a 1,800-hour European average. One the other hand, due to a generally high labour market participation rate and the high labour-market participation rate for women, the Danish population as a whole spends more time at the labour market than any other Western nation (DK0702049I). Every third couple/family spends more than 80 hours working per week, and less than 10% spend less than 70 hours (Danish Board of Technology, 2005).”
Consequently, the claim on the poster is false. This works as propaganda because of it sleight of hand, comparing a 33 hour average of full and part time worker hours to the target’s incorrect perception this is being compared to a 40 hour week. Overall, this poster is an extremely sophisticated bit of propaganda messaging that tricks the viewer through logical fallacies, lies, distortions and “What you see is all there is” thinking.
Certain workers do have a 37-hour (not 33-hour) work week, but as shown above, the Danes, overall, have a long duration participation in the weekly work force. Workers in Denmark do receive up to five weeks vacation per year (less than some other European nations) and extensive leave options for caring for very young children (although less than Sweden’s generous 16-month paid leave).
Source
- http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/observatories/eurwork/comparative-information/national-contributions/denmark/working-time-in-the-european-union-denmark
- http://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode%3DANHRS
- The BBC got the story on average hours worked, correct.
FUTURE POSTS
- Part 1: Denmark is the world’s happiest nation because of the following reasons (Not true)
- Part 2: Denmark has a $20/hour minimum wage (No, it does not).
- Part 3: Denmark has a 33 hour work week (No, it does not)
- Part 4: Denmark has Free University ? Yes but read why – it’s not why you think)
- Part 5: Denmark has Free Childcare? No, it does not – this claim is a lie).
- Part 6: Denmark has Free Healthcare, sort of
- Part 7: We should all be like Denmark, remember?
- Part 8: Is Denmark a socialist country?
Text for Search Indexing
Why is the Denmark ranked the happiest country in the world by the United Nations?
$20 minimum wage
33 hour work week
Free University
Free Child Care
Free Health Care
Why is Denmark the happiest country in the world?
$20 minimum wage
33-hour work week
Free university
Free childcare
Free healthcare
Share if America should follow their lead
Occupy Democrats
Denmark v. USA
$21/hr. minimum wage $7.25/hr. minimum wage
Free healthcare, childcare, college and job training – Healthcare, childcare and college are a luxury, can bankrupt you or saddle you with debt
Paid sick and parental leave – No paid sick/parental leave
Only 6.1% of children live in poverty – 23.1% of children are poor, highest rate in rich world
Ranked #1 happiest country
Ranked #1 country for business
Ranked #1 most unequal rich country
Share if Americans can learn from Denmark!
Occupy Democrats
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