Youth in Denmark

Youth in Denmark includes individuals 15 to 25 years old. Denmark's demographic development resembles other western European countries with an increasing elderly population and low birth rate. Hence, youth in Denmark only comprise 13% of Denmark's 5,556,452 population consisting of 367,927 males and 352,872 females. The sex ratio is 1.04 male/female. Youth in Denmark includes individuals 15 to 25 years old. Denmark's demographic development resembles other western European countries with an increasing elderly population and low birth rate. Hence, youth in Denmark only comprise 13% of Denmark's 5,556,452 population consisting of 367,927 males and 352,872 females. The sex ratio is 1.04 male/female. During youth, families typically embrace an individualistic self-development. Danes begin to make decisions in regards to health and educational options. The government's underlying institutional features allow youth to face a lower risk of long term unemployment compared to other countries. Consuming alcohol and exercising regularly are prominent activities. Different values and diverse contexts guide youth practices. In the late modern family, trust and negotiation are important strategies to build a respectful and honoring relationship. Generally speaking, parents do not make decisions for youth without explaining the rationale and the youth comprehending. Parents prepare youth to be independent and responsible individuals by encouraging emancipation from the family. Parents do not impose strict rules interfering with youth freedom. Youth setting boundaries on providing information to parents is acceptable. The ideal is to maintain a continuous and friction free dialogue between parents and youth. According to a study by sociologist Torsten Kolind, rules by parents of mainstream and counterculture youth differ. Mainstream parents' rules are indefinite, negotiable, and entail unspoken expectations. As a result, rules set are only broken to a degree by youth. Passing the fine line results in feelings of guilt and abused parental trust. Parents' rules of counterculture youth are defined and non-negotiable. Yet, counterculture youth do not reflect on these rules as important and do not have a guilty conscience when breaking the rules. Primary, secondary, and university education in Denmark is free. Ten years of school is compulsory for children ages 6 to 16. After completing their compulsory education, youth branch off onto different routes. Half of the students opt for an additional eleventh year. Twenty-three percent stop their educational career, while 77% attend a general academic secondary school or a vocational training program for particular professions. After attending secondary education in Denmark for three years, youth may enroll in a university. University programs include: sociology, economics, architecture, medicine, and pharmacy. There are 12 universities, including the University of Copenhagen, Aarhus University, Odense University, and Roskilde University. Compared to European peers, youth are older when they enter and graduate from tertiary education. The average age to start a bachelor's degree at a university was 21.8 in 2000 and 21.6 in 2006. The delay to begin studying is due to students traveling abroad, taking the voluntary tenth grade, working in a café, or enjoying their time in other ways while considering what to do. The average age to graduate was 25.0 in 2000 and 25.2 in 2005. Danish students frequently change their study plan. Danes faced with difficulties at university reorient themselves towards shorter and less demanding programs. Denmark provides vocational education and training programs for those aged 16 and older. Vocational education typically consists of two to four years. It includes a mixture of theoretical courses with practical training in apprenticeships. The vocational education system is divided into two parts: the basic course and main course. The basic course ranging from 10 to 60 weeks includes attending classes with compulsory and optional subjects. The optional subjects provide the student with opportunities to acquire qualifications. The length of the basic course varies with the program. For the main course, students find a contract with a firm for an apprenticeship for two to three years. Firms receive subsidies to hire and train apprentices. The cost for an apprentice is half the cost for an ordinary employee. The wage received by an apprentice is attractive for a young person, being an average 60% higher than the state education grant. If they are not able to find an apprenticeship contract, youth find themselves in another program or continue in general upper secondary education programs. Denmark performs poorly in terms of school drop out rates, and therefore, the government is committed to reducing the numbers. Youth aged 20–24 with no upper secondary education reached 18.6% in 2008, which is slightly above the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average. Other European countries, such as Poland, Czech Republic, and Slovak Republic, drop out rates range between 6–7%. Drop out rates in nearby Nordic countries Sweden stands at 9.5% and Finland stands at 10.2%. The government decided 95% of each youth cohort should have at least upper secondary education by 2015. Career education and guidance offered by schools are working to combat drop outs. Career education and guidance begins at schools in grade 6 and continues until grade 9 or 10 and provides opportunities for students to familiarize themselves with upper secondary education program demands. A personal education portfolio follows each student into secondary education and serves as a foundation for talks about future education and career planning.