An eight-hour working day is the general rule, with Saturdays and Sundays free. According to one trustworthy statistic, around 40 per cent of Danes' freetime is spent glued to the TV-screen and that despite the fact that up to 1988 Danish television was limited to one channel. An annual five-week vacation with full pay is the established practice on the Danish labour market. Some spend their holidays at home or at summer cottages by the beach. But Danes are unusual travel-bugs at holidaytime, flying south in flocks to preferred destinations like Majorca, southern Spain and the Canary Islands.
Couples share the household chores.
Like people in many other countries, most Danes feel that at least one car is indispensable for the family, and 1,6 million cars are to be found in Denmark today, equivalent to one for every three Danes. These are astounding figures when one bears in mind that every time a Dane buys a new car formidable state excise and duties on car sales force the purchaser to pay three times the car's actual price. Taxes and duties are extremely high in the rule, but most manage to bite the bullet with a healthy dose of black humour and seldom miss an opportunity to enjoy the bright side of life, such as on family occasions, when birthdays, weddings, confirmations or other events are celebrated. Welcome to guests.