Country Profile of SWEDEN in English

8/20/2019 Country Profile of SWEDEN in English

1/201 Country profle SWEDENLearnmera Oy www.thelanguagemenu.com

Info4Migrants

SWEDENCountry prole

Project number: UK/13/LLP-LdV/TOI-615



449,964 km2

9,593 mlnPOPULATION

GDP per capita

CURRENCY

$40,870

Language SWEDISH

Swedish krona (SEK)



Locaon: Between Finland and Norway in Northern Europe, bor-dering the Balc Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, Kaegat, and Skagerrak

Capital: Stockholm

Climate: temperate in south with cold, cloudy winters and cool,partly cloudy summers; subarcc in north

Ethnic Make-up: indigenous populaon - Swedes with Finnish

and Sami minories; foreign-born or rst-generaon immigrants:Finns, Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks

Religions: Lutheran 87 %, other (includes Roman Catholic, Ortho-dox, Bapst, Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist) 13 %

Language in Sweden: The ocial language of Sweden is Swedishand it is spoken by the majority of individuals living in Sweden.One of two key minority languages is Saami, which is spoken inthe Northern regions of Sweden, and nally Finnish. There arealso a number of Roman in Sweden who speak in Romani.

Naonal Flag

Coat of arms

COUNTRY BACKGROUND

STOCKHOLM



SWEDEN FACTS

CultureOne of the key characteriscs of Swedish culture is thatSwedes are egalitarian in nature, humble and nd boasngabsolutely unacceptable. In many ways, Swedes prefer tolisten to others, as opposed to ensuring that their own voiceis heard. When speaking, Swedes speak soly and calmly. It israre to witness a Swede demonstrang anger or strong emo-

on in public.

BehaviourBehaviours in Sweden are strongly balanced towards ‘lagom’or, ‘everything in moderaon’. Excess, ashiness and boast-ing are abhorred in Sweden.. As an example, work hard andplay hard are not common concepts in Sweden. People workhard but not too hard, they go out and enjoy themselves,

but without parcipang in anything extreme. Due to thestrong culture of egalitarianism in Sweden, compeon isnot encouraged and children are not raised to believe thatthey are any more special than any other child.

Work and leisure me –

two dierent thingsSwedes like to divide their me exclusively between workand leisure. We also like to separate colleagues and private

friendships. A commonly used expression is “Never mix workand pleasure”. Don’t be surprised if your colleagues don’t ask

you to parcipate in their leisure me or don’t introduce youto their friends. This has nothing to do with you coming froma dierent country, they don’t spend me outside work with

their Swedish colleagues either. People rarely discuss privatemaers at work and they are hesitant to recruit friends orfamily to their own place of work.

Country prole SWEDENLearnmera Oy www.thelanguagemenu.com4



SWEDEN FACTS

ViolenceSwedes have very restricve views on violence, domescand otherwise. Parents are not allowed to discipline theirchildren physically, nor are teachers or anyone else.. Itis prohibited to hit anybody for any reason. Using physi-cal violence is considered a sign of weakness, especiallywhen a bigger person hits or hurts someone smaller. Astock phrase that depicts this is “Where common senseor ability to express oneself ends violence starts”.

Vising friends and acquaintancesSwedes like to plan things. If you want to visit someone,

call in advance and ask them if it is convenient. A Swedewill nd it embarrassing if their home isn’t orderly or ifthey don’t have anything to oer you when you come. Asurprise visit may also disturb the Swedes’ high need forprivacy.

Understatements‘Jantelagen’ is a term oen used. It means that youshould never think that you are beer than anyone else.To be understated is important. What Swedes considerbragging would in many countries only be telling it likeit is. If someone compliments you on a job well done oryour new haircut, a Swede rarely responds with “thankyou”. Instead we explain how easy it was and how any-one could have done it or that the haircut really doesn’t

look very good or that at least it wasn’t expensive.




1 January: New Year’s Day

Nyårsdagen

New Year’s Day is a pub-

lic holiday in many placesaround the world and Swe-

den is no excepon.

6 January: Epiphany

Treondedagen

Epiphany is celebrated to

commemorate the visit of

the Biblical Magi to the Baby

Jesus.

Moveable Friday in spring:

Good Friday

Långfredagen

Good Friday commemo-

rates the crucixion of Jesus

Christ.

Moveable Sunday in spring:

Easter Sunday

Påskdagen

The resurrecon of Jesus

Christ is celebrated on Easter

Day.

Moveable Monday in

spring: Easter Monday

Andra påskdagen

Easter Monday is the day

following Easter Day.

1 May: May Day

Valborgsmässoaon

May Day has been a pub-

lic holiday in Sweden since1939.

Moveable Thursday in

spring: Whit Sunday

Pingstaon

Whit Sunday is a tradional

picnic day in Sweden.

Moveable Thursday inspring: Ascension Day

Kris himmelfärds dag

Ascension is a Chrisan hol-

iday when the resurrected

Jesus was taken up to heav-

en.

June 6: Sweden’s Naonal

Day

Sveriges naonaldag

Sweden has celebrated its

Naonal Day on 6 June since

1983.

19 June - 25 June:

Midsummer Eve

Midsommaraon

Midsummer is family oung

and picnic me.

Saturday 20 June - 26 June:

Midsummer Day

Midsommardagen

A lot of the Midsummerfesvies take place in the

countryside.

Saturday 31 October -

6 November: All Saints’ Day

Alla helgons dag

The following Sunday marks

All Souls Day, a day usual-

ly reserved for vising thegraves of lost loved ones.

24-26 December: Christmas

Jul

Christmas is a family holiday

spent together with family

and loved ones.

December 31:

New Year´s Eve

Nyår

As in many countries around

the world, New Year’s Eve is

marked with great fesvies

and big rework displays.

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS



SWEDISH FOODSwedish food is much more than just iconic meatballs and chewy sh-shaped

sweets. If you want to know a herring from a craysh and a kanelbulle from a prinsesstårta, here are ten vital facts about Swedish food tradions.

#1 Lingonberries go with anything

Just like ketchup and mustard, lingonberry jam is widely used to accompany a variety ofdishes, from meatballs and pancakes to porridge and black pudding (blodpudding). Butdespite its sweetness, it is rarely used on bread. Thanks to the Right of Public Access(Allemansräen), which gives everyone the freedom to roam and enjoy nature, many

Swedes grow up picking lingonberries in the forest, and using these ny tart red fruits tomake a jam-like preserve.

#2 Pickled herring – centre of the smorgasbord

You might swap meatballs (köbullar) for mini sausages (prinskorvar) or pick cured salm-on (gravad lax) rather than smoked, but your smorgasbord wouldn’t be complete with-out pickled herring (sill). This shy favourite remains the basis of every typical Swedishbuet. With an abundance of herring in both the North and Balc Seas, Swedes havebeen pickling since the Middle Ages, mainly as a way of preserving the sh for storageand transportaon. Pickled herring comes in a variety of avours – mustard, onion, garlicand dill, to name a few – and is oen eaten with boiled potatoes, sour cream, choppedchives, sharp hard cheese, somemes boiled eggs and, of course, crispbread.

#3 Crispbread – what’s your favourite topping?

In addion to bread and buer, you’ll oen nd a type of crispbread (knäckebröd) servedalongside your main meal. This is what the Swedes tend to reach for. Once consideredpoor man’s food, crispbread has been baked in Sweden for over 500 years, and it can last

for at least a year if stored properly, and remains among the most versale edible prod-ucts. The Swedish Naonal Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen) ran a campaignin the 1970s suggesng Swedes should eat six to eight slices of bread a day, includingcrispbread. This comes in various shapes, thicknesses and avours, with enre storeshelves devoted to it. Crispbread can be topped with anything from sliced boiled eggsand caviar squeezed from a tube for breakfast; to ham, cheese and cucumber slices forlunch; to just plain buer along with your dinner.

#4 Räksmörgås and other open sandwiches

When you order a sandwich, don’t be surprised if it involves just a single slice of bread,the typical Swedish smörgås. The Swedish concept of open sandwiches dates back to the1400s, when thick slabs of bread were used as plates. In Sweden, the shrimp sandwich




SWEDISH FOOD

(räksmörgås or räkmacka) remains the opon t for a king. Piled high with a mix of boiledegg slices, leuce, tomato and cucumber, this seafood snack is oen topped with creamy-romsås – crème fraîche blended with dill sprigs and roe. Shrimp sandwiches are such anintegral part of Swedish culture that they have inspired a popular saying: ‘glida in på enräkmacka’ (literally ‘glide in on a shrimp sandwich,’ but the actual meaning is roughly ‘geta free ride’), meaning to get an advantage without having done anything to deserve it.

#5 Pea soup and pancakes

Many Swedes grow up eang pea soup and pancakes (ärtsop-pa och pannkakor) every Thursday. This tradion has been

upheld by the Swedish Armed Forces since World War II.While its true origins are widely debated – from Cath-olics not eang meat on Fridays, thus lling up on peasoup on Thursdays, to pea soup being very easy toprepare by maid servants who would work half-dayson Thursdays – the tradion has been well preserved.Most tradional lunch restaurants serve pea soup and

pancakes with lingonberry jam or any kind of jam (sylt)on Thursdays.

#6 Prinsesstårta – a royal indulgence

Colouring the window displays of bakeries through-out Sweden is the all-me favourite green princess cake

(prinsesstårta), topped with a bright pink sugar rose. Compris-ing layers of yellow sponge cake lined with jam and vanilla custard,

and then nished o with a heavy topping of whipped cream, the cake is carefully sealedwith a thin layer of sugary sweet green marzipan. A relavely recent addion to Sweden’sculinary history, princess cake debuted in the 1920s, courtesy of Jenny Åkerström. Shewas a teacher to King Gustav V’s brother Prince Carl Bernadoe’s daughters – PrincessesMargaretha, Märtha and Astrid – who loved it so much that they inspired its name. Whilethe third week of September is ocially princess cake week, this popular cake is noweaten during special fesvals and is used to mark many milestones in people’s lives. Today,it comes in a variety of colours – from the classic green to yellow for Easter, red at Christ -mas, orange for Halloween and white for weddings.

#7 The calendar of sweet delights

In Sweden, people can always nd a good excuse to tuck into something sweet – so muchso that specic calendar days are designated to the celebraon of parcular sugary spe-



ciales. Cinnamon Bun Day (Kanelbullens dag) is celebrated on 4 October. Buns lled withcream and almond paste known as semlor are eaten on Shrove Tuesday or ‘Fat Tuesday’(fesdagen), as the Swedes call it – the day before Ash Wednesday (askonsdagen), therst day of Lent. Waes (våor) are consumed on 25 March, and creamy sponge cakesdecorated with chocolate or marzipan silhouees of King Gustav II Adolf (Gustav Adolfs-ba -kelse) on 6 November in memory of the Swedish monarch who was killed on this day in1632 in the Bale of Lützen.

#8 Crazy for crayshCraysh pares (kräskivor) are popular in August, when warmsummer evenings are spent feasng on these red bite-sizedfreshwater shellsh – or saltwater shellsh (then called lan-gousne or, funnily enough, Norway lobster) – in gardensand on balconies all over Sweden. Eaten only by Sweden’supper-class cizens and aristocracy in the 1500s, crayshhave become a naonal delicacy enjoyed by all, with massimportaon having signicantly brought down the priceover the centuries.

#9 There’s something shy about Surströmming

Every culture has at least one culinary speciality that makesboth locals and visitors cringe. From late August to early Sep-tember, a snky tradion is upheld in Sweden, parcularly inthe northern part of the country. This is when cans of fermentedsour Balc herring (surströmming) are opened – a tradion dangback to the 1800s. The custom usually takes place outdoors due to theoverpowering, unpleasant smell, which many compare with roen eggs andraw sewage.

#10 Lördagsgodis (Saturday sweets)

The average Swedish family, with two adults and two children, eats 1.2 kilos of sweets perweek – most of it on Saturday, sweets day. Upheld mostly to protect people’s teeth andprevent dental cavies, the once-a-week tradion is historically linked to dubious medi -cal pracces. In the 1940s and 1950s, the paents at Vipeholm Mental Hospital in Lund

were fed large amounts of sweets to intenonally cause tooth decay, as part of a seriesof human experiments for research purposes. Based on ndings from 1957 of the directrelaonship between sweets and tooth decay, the Medical Board suggested Swedes eatsweets only once a week – an unwrien rule that many families sll sck to.

SWEDISH FOOD



IMPORTANT TIPS

Helpful Hints

Knowledge about Sweden’s economy,high standard of living, sports, architec-ture, history, etc. is appreciated.

Remember to thank someone for dinneror gi upon next meeng.

Men should p their hats to women andremove their hats while talking to wom-en.

Do not praise another city or area inSweden over the one you are presentlyvising. Swedes are very proud of theirown town or region.

Do not cricize Swedish lifestyle, sexualhabits, suicide rate, prices, etc.

Do not compliment lightly. Insincerecomments are considered rude.

Especially For Women

In Sweden, women make up 48% of thework force -- the highest percentage ofworking women in the world.

Foreign businesswomen are widely ac-cepted and should encounter few prob-lems conducng business in Sweden.

Businesswomen may pay the check in a

restaurant without any embarrassment.

Be on me!

Swedes are neuroc about punctuality,agendas and me tables. Notably, we usea number of stock phrases that are signif -icant for this way of thinking e.g. “Time ismoney” or “Don’t waste me”. It is con-sidered very disrespecul to be late both

professionally and privately.

If you are late, do call and let the waingperson(s) know and you will be easily for-given. Always apologize if you are late.

There is something called the “academicquarter of an hour”. That means if youare going to someone’s home you maybe een minutes late - at the very most.

If a plane or bus is supposed to leave ata set me, Swedes get very frustrated ifkept waing. However, there are situa-ons when we expect to be kept waing,such as doctor’s or denst’s appoint-ments.

Calling others

On weekdays, you can call people be-tween 9 am-10 pm. Don’t call before 10am on weekends. It is also consideredbad form not to introduce yourself evenif the person answering is not the oneyou are looking for. We somemes intro-duce ourselves even though we dialled

the wrong number in order to be polite.




If the invitaon is in wring, you areexpected to reply in wring. If you areinvited in person or by telephone, youcan accept or decline right away orcall back with an answer. Also, be sure

to check if there is a dress code. If theevent is in someone’sa home ask for thedoor code.

• When you are invited to someone’shome, do ask if the invitaon is extend-ed to your children or pets. If , the host/hostess have arranged for a baby-sierthey will not expect other children or

pets as guests.

• Swedes oen bring a gi when goingto someone’s home. Flowers or wineare appreciated gis. If you have some-thing from your own country, mostpeople will appreciate that.

• Punctuality is a virtue. Seven o’clock

means seven o’clock if you are invitedfor dinner. Chances are that the food isalmost on the table. Arriving late is of -ten inconvenient for oen means incon-veniencing the host/hostess.

• For table seang at informal aairs,usually the host/hostess will tell youwhere they want you to sit. On more

formal occasions there will be a tableseang plan at the door and/or nametags at each seat. If there is a table seat-

ing plan, the man nds the lady on hisright and escorts her to the table. Onlyduring the engagement period do cou-ples sit next to one another, otherwiseyou will be assigned to a dinner com-

panion. You are expected to make smalltalk throughout the meal and dance therst dance with your dinner companion.

• The meal is usually commenced bythe host/hostess welcoming everyoneand toasng. Don’t drink anything butwater before the rst toast is made.When there are less than 8 people,

don’t eat before the host/hostess hastaken the rst bite or asked you tobegin. When toasng, you should pickup your glass and try to look everyonein the eye (if you are less than 8 peopleat the table), then take a sip and aer-wards again make eye contact with ev-eryone before pung down your glass.

• If coee is taken in a dierent room,stay with your dinner companion. Menusually bring women coee.

• Call or write and thank the host/host-ess within ten days. Try to reciprocateby inving them to something.

• People rarely invite you to dinner

twice in a row, but wait for you to re-turn their invitaon by arranging some-thing.

IMPORTANT TIPS

If you are invited to someone’s home or a party




Dining and EntertainmentTo beckon a waiter, wave your hand andmake eye contact.Business entertaining is most oen done ina restaurant during lunch or dinner. Busi-ness breakfasts are acceptable, but not ascommon as in the U.S. Business can be dis-cussed at any me during a meal. Spousesmay be included in business dinners.

Female guest of honor is seated to the rightof the host. Male guest of honor is seated tole of the hostess.Dinner is oen served immediately at din-ner pares. There may be no cocktail hour.Toasng is something of a formal ritual inSweden. Don’t take a drink unl your hosthas given a toast.Look into the eyes of the person being

toasted and say Skål (Skohl).Allow hosts and seniors in rank and age totoast rst.When toasng, make eye contact and nodto the others present, before pung yourglass down.The meal ends with the male guest of honortapping his glass with a knife or spoon andthanking the hostess on behalf of all the

guests. The female guest of honor shouldthank the host.A buer knife is usually provided. Do notuse a dinner knife for buer.Always ask permission before smoking.Keep your hands on the table at all mesduring a meal – not in your lap – and keepyour elbows o the table.It is polite to try everything served.When nished eang, place knife and forkside by side on the plate in the 5:25 posi-on.

Call or write the next day to thank your hostand hostess.Do not ask for a tour of your host’s homeunless you have a well established relaon-ship.

Dress

Swedes wear fashionable, but oen casual,European style warm clothing. It is import-

ant to be well dressed in public at all mes.For business, men should wear conservavesuits and es. Women should wear dresses,suits, and pantsuits.

Gis

Gis are generally not exchanged in busi-ness, but it is common to give small Christ-mas gis to a Swedish colleague. Gis rep-

resentave of one’s business or home areaare appropriate. When invited to someone’shome, always bring a small gi for the host-ess. If the host has children, a small gi ofcandy is appreciated.

Give owers (unwrap before giving), wine(liquor is special because it is very expensivein Sweden), chocolates, books and recorded

music. Do not give crystal or items made inSweden.

Gis are opened immediately.

IMPORTANT TIPS



Sweden is a predominantly middle class country with one of the most far-reaching socialsecurity systems in the world. Patriosm is important to Swedes, who are very proud of

their naon, towns and regions.

PEOPLE IN SWEDEN

Meeng and GreengShake hands with everyone present –men, women, and children – at businessand social meengs. Shake hands againwhen leaving.Younger people generally do not shakehands when meeng friends. Older peo-ple expect a handshake when being greet-ed or when leaving.If no one is available to introduce you,shake each person’s hand and introduceyourself.

Body LanguageGenerally, Swedes are reserved in bodylanguage. They do not embrace or touch

oen in public. Maintain eye contact at allmes while talking with someone.

First name basis

Swedes are informal and rarely use tleswhen addressing one another. We alsocall each other, oen without age disnc-on, by our rst name.

Friendships between men

and womenMen and women oen form friendships

without being romancally involved. Awoman can speak to a man without con-sidering it as a sexual invitaon.



Gender roles and equality

Most women in Sweden work outside the home both before and aer marriage. They alsoconnue working aer having children, but aer a maternity leave of 12-18 months. Notonly is this because families need a dual income to survive, but it is also considered a wom-an’s right for self fullment. Consequently, men are expected to do a larger burden of thework within the home and to be equally responsible for child rearing. However, most willagree that the domesc chores sll largely fall under the woman’s domain. It is also not un-

usual that mothers of young children engage in part me work in order to spend more mewith their children.

When the children are ill, it is also more common for the mothers to stay home to care forthem. This is oen explained by the fact that the man is the primary breadwinner in thefamily and his income inuences the family to a larger extent. Some tradional gestures aresll upheld. For example, men oen open doors for women and let them enter rst. Menpropose marriage even though it is also oen a common decision between the two pareswithout involvement from the families.

In Sweden, family is extremely important and as such, the rights of children are well pro-tected.

The rights aorded to Swedish families to ensure that they are able to adequately care fortheir children are some of the best rights in the world. An overview of these rights is asfollows:

• Either the mother or father is entled to be absent from work unl their child reaches 18months old.

• Either parent has the right to reduce their workload by 25% unl their child reaches 8years old (and is formally ready for school).

• A parental allowance is paid for 480 days, which is intended for both parents. Sixty ofthese days must be used by the ‘minority’ parents. For this reason, this element of the al-lowance is oen known as ‘Daddy’s months’.

• You have the right to up to 60 days o per year to care for a sick child.

• However, a number of people in Sweden challenge the degree to which these rights areimplemented, as stascs suggest that women oen fall way behind their male colleague in

in terms of salary.• Anyone travelling to Sweden will noce the family friendly environment of most restau-rants and other such establishments. Even trains have a toy and play area.

FAMILY IN SWEDEN




DON’TS

Don’t Use Highly Animated Body LanguageMany non-Scandinavians don’t realize howanimated they can be in a conversaon.And the more animated they get, the moreexcited they get, as can be overheard inmany a conversaon. This is the quickestway to irritate the locals, and you can ex-pect to be gently reprimanded if your voicecarries over to the next table. When you

see a Swede unconsciously turning theirbody away from you, or shade their eyes asif they are blocking out the sun, take this asyour cue; it’s you they’re trying to ward o.

Don’t Feel Pressured by Silence

What you may perceive as an awkwardsilence, a Swede will perceive as a com-

fortable pause. “Don’t say what you mean,mean what you say” aptly describes theway of a Swedish conversaon. Swedes aredirect communicators and every word is cal-culated to carry a meaning across. You willhardly ever overhear conversaons that arelled with social pleasantries and small talk,so don’t rush to ll the gap simply becauseyou are used to keeping up constant chaer

back home.

This can come across as extremely arrogant,whether you mean to or not. Don’t assumethat because Sweden is a neutral enty,Swedes are uninformed about the policalcomplexies that go on in other countries.

You will actually nd the Swedes read a lotand take their educaon prey seriouslyeven from a young age. This is not to saythat you cannot indulge them with inter-

esng snippets about your homeland, butdon’t be confrontaonal or look like a for-eign know-it-all.

Don’t Ignore Personal Space

The Swedes love their personal space. Theyare not touchy-feely by nature. In fact, don’teven stand too close at the cash registerin a shop. Don’t sit next to someone ona bus if there is an open seat just for youelsewhere. Think about it; if a completestranger sits next to you in an empty bus,wouldn’t you too feel uncomfortable...orperhaps cling onto your handbag for dearlife and look for the nearest escape route?

Don’t be Flashy

Your trip might not be about mak-

ing friends, but if you come to

Sweden as the cast of Jersey Shore,

you are in for a world of rebuking.

The social lters will go up and

your new local acquaintances will

try to avoid you like a gunshot tothe head. In Sweden, everything is

done in moderaon, from every-

day clothing to late night clubbing

in Stockholm. People have fun, but

just enough without making a nui -

sance of themselves. Remember

that loud antagonizer at your local

bar? You won’t nd them here, soconsidering this inclinaon towards

moderaon a blessing.




DONT’S

Don’t Get Decaf

Learn to enjoy coee in Sweden - do not askfor a decaf substute, it’s awful and not alwaysavailable. Coee and cinnamon buns might aswell be the society glue, giving people a rea-son to get together and be social especially inStockholm.

Don’t Diss Swedish Beer...Or Anything Else

Or go on about how much beer the beer isin your home country. In fact, don’t talk abouthow much beer anything is in your homecounty. It is rude and obnoxious, no maerwhere you go. Yes, the Swedish beer is muchlighter and may taste like a watered-downversion of your homebrew, but the Swedeshappen to like it. If you don’t like it, just enjoy adierent drink.

English might be a universal language, butdon’t expect to hear your mother tongue inmost parts of Europe. In fact, you can only beguaranteed to hear English in the UK, but it

is certainly not the predominant language inSweden. This is not to say that Swedes can notspeak English, but keep in mind that this is nottheir rst language. Whatever you do, whenyou encounter a non-nave English speakerin Sweden, do not raise your voice and speakmore slowly to them as if they were raised inthe back of a chicken coop. Learn a few basicSwedish phrases instead.

Don’t Menon the Finnish

Ice Hockey Team

When you are in Sweden,

you support the Swedish

Hockey team. End of story.

This is the safest opon, un-

less you want to start an ar -gument. Don’t menon any

other hockey teams. For the

me being, you are a Swedish

hockey patriot! The Swedes

and the Finns have a long and

complex history, so anyone

not from Sweden or Finland

had best leave it at that.

Don’t talk to strangers

Swedes don’t talk to

strangers. We consider it

strange behavior and like

to keep our privacy.




CORPORATE CULTURE

Swedes take punctuality for business meet-ings very seriously and expect you to dolikewise. Call with an explanaon if you aredelayed.

Use last names and appropriate tles unlspecically invited by your Swedish host orcolleague to use rst names.

English is commonly used in business. An in-terpreter is rarely necessary. Business cardsin English are acceptable.

During business meengs, Swedes usuallyget right down to business aer very briefcordialies. Agendas are clearly set formeengs with a stated purpose. Swedes arefactual, praccal, precise, reserved and get

to the point quickly. Presentaons are im-portant. They should be clear, to the pointand detailed.

Reports, briengs and presentaons shouldbe backed up by facts, gures, tables andcharts.

Swedes are generally tough negoators.They are methodical and detailed, slow tochange their posions and will push hard forconcessions.

In the relavely small private sector, it is im-portant to know who is who and how every-one ts in the corporate structure. Import-ant decisions are oen made by middle andlower level managers.

While decision-making may be a slow pro-cess, implemenng decisions is oen rapid.Do not call a Swedish businessperson at

home unless it is important and you have awell-established relaonship with this per-son.

When communicang with

Swedes, be clear and con-

cise regarding what you ex-

pect from them. They will be

equally clear with you.



IN EVERYDAY SITUATIONS

Family paerns

Children start school at six and day-care is provided for ev-

eryone before that to enable parents to work. The median

is 2.1 children per family, which is rather high – one of thehighest birthrates in Europe.

Several generaons in the same household is uncommon in

Sweden. Children leave the home in their late teens or early

twenes, and usually live alone for a few years before start-

ing their own families. The result is, of course, that young

Swedish families cannot rely on the help and support from

their parents to the same extent, and the opposite situaon

applies for the older generaon when their needs increase.

Old people have the opon to live in adapted apartmentswith limited help or gradual steps toward an old people’s

home. It is not expected or demanded that children take

care of their elders. As the scal climate ghtens this may

change.

Family news - births, birthdays, engagements, marriages and deaths

It is very common to announce family changes in the papers. Each daily newspaper has

a page designated for family news. You place an announcement for a fee. To ensure that

everyone sees the announcement many place them in the two major papers, Dagens Ny-heter or Svenska Dagbladet. If you noce a change in a friend/colleague’s family situaon,

it is customary to drop a note of congratulaon or condolence.

Children’s quarrels

Children are expected to solve their own disputes and parents are not too closely involved

in their children’s conicts.

Answering the telephone

Most Swedes will answer their phone by saying either their rst or last name or both. In

some regions, it is common to answer with your own phone number. People rarely pick up

and say hello without giving you any indicaon of where you have called.

As always when you try to explain a people as a whole, generalizaons are

made and stereotypes are being used. In any case, it is always nice to have

an idea about the habits of a naonality so that you are not misunderstood.

Therefore, we have compiled a short list of how we act in dierent situaons.



IN EVERYDAY SITUATIONS

Dang in Sweden

The equality between the sexes may be the reason for the lack of tradional courtship

in Swedish relaonships. Ask any Swedish man and he will assure you that females oen

call them and that they frequently split a dinner check in half. Going Dutch,

even on dates, has clearly been adopted in Sweden.

Foreign females are oen surprised by what they per-

ceive as the Swedish males lack of aenveness.

Males coming from cultures where dang andcourtship is part of life will nd Swedish women

very appreciave and somemes confused by

that form of interacon.

Courses

Swedes love to take classes outside of

work. Various schools send their course

bullens straight to your home. Most of

them are started by various unions for the

members to develop new skills, however

the selecon is wide. Ceramics and arts

and cras are on oer as well as languages,

bookkeeping, computers and dance class-

es. Most any interest can be triggered by a

course available. The schools to look for are

Folkuniversitetet, Medborgarskolan, and TBV.

Professional identy

Swedes idenfy themselves largely with their profes-

sions. One of the rst quesons a Swede will pose to a new

acquaintance is: “What do you do for a living”? It is also com-

mon to say I am a computer consultant, rather than I work as a computer

consultant. This has created problems as the rate of unemployment has become higher.

Status is closely connected with a person’s choice of profession instead of age, whom

you are related to, personality, or other characteriscs. However, not only high-status

professions render respect, a job well done in any area is respected.


20/20

Veronica Gelfgren

Yulia Bazyukina

Marja-Liisa Helenius

Research

Research, layout

Proofreading

Learnmera Oy

Country Profile of SWEDEN in English

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Transcript of Country Profile of SWEDEN in English