Work or Party: Comparison between Young Chinese and Danes

By Eloha Habibi & Jeanette Norgaard

While a lot of the young Danes spend most of their time with their friends partying and travelling around the world， a majority of the young Chinese are focusing on earning as much money as possible while they are young and still have the energy to work. The Danish study that is made by Consultant Malthe Munk？ and Head of research Geert Laier Christensen shows that 83% of the Chinese people believe that it is best to work hard while they are young so that they can get their carrier started and save up money for their retirement while only 60 % of the Danes believe the same.

China Business Focus has asked both young Danes and Chinese people the question whether they would like to work hard while they are young or enjoy their youth？ Even though the study shows that the young Chinese who participated in the Danish study are much more willing to work hard compared to the Danes all of the young people who were interviewed agreed that working hard while being young is important. But while the young Danes want to work for the sake of the experience and self-development the young Chinese are more focused on earning money to secure their future and their familys survival.

The welfare system in Denmark& China

The young Chinese who were interviewed were certainly aware of the Danish welfare system and believed that the results of the study had something to do with the fact that young Danes live in a country with a good welfare system. The 28 year-old Chinese Eric Chou who is a sales engineer do not think that it is even possible to compare China to Denmark.

“Everyone in the world knows that those three or four northern European countries have the best social insurance and health care in the world. Even the United States of America cannot be com-pared to these countries. If the Chinese government could offer a welfare system like the one in Denmark， the young Chinese people would not be willing to work as hard as they do either.”

Charlotte N？rgaard who is an 18-year Danish student agrees. She believes that the welfare sy-stem plays a significant role and makes the young Danes feel more secure.

“I think it has something to do with the fact that we have this safety net in Denmark， which means that we always will be able to seek some kind of financial support if we for example lose our job or get sick. I think that it makes the young Danish people feel more secure and that may also be the reason why they dont necessarily prioritize hard work when they are young. The young Chinese people on the other hand are living under much stricter conditions which also means that they have to work hard in order to secure themselves and their future.”

The welfare system in Denmark is very different from the Chinese “welfare system”. In Denmark young people from all over the country have the same opportunities when it for example comes to getting an education. Because of the Danish welfare system the young Danes even get a monthly salary while studying. The salary is called ‘Statens Uddannelsesst？tte， which coul be roughly translated into “education support”， from the government. The salary is given to the students so that they dont need to work as much - instead they can concentrate more on their education. That being said the Danes have to pay very high taxes –up to 60% of their salary – in order to maintain their welfare system.

Since the Chinese do not have the same welfare system Eric Chou believes that the Chinese need to work hard while they are young：

“Chinese people have to earn as much money as possible because the health insurance is not reliable and we can not rely on the Chinese government. We have to work hard while we are healthy and strong. Otherwise， it is difficult for us to earn more when we are old and out of date，” Eric Chou says.

Twenty or thirty years ago most Chinese people belonged to a work unit， which took care of their employment， their educational expenses， their retirement and their medical needs. As a part of the Chinas liberalization most of these benefits were lost. This loss represented， effectively， a transfer of wealth from households to the state since what was once a government liability became a household liability. It is this reduction in household wealth， relative to the countrys overall production of goods and service， which forced up the savings rate. Chinese households， in other words， consumes less than they otherwise might have because their wealth decreased in relative terms thanks to the erosion of their social safety net， and this automatically forced up the savings rate.

The construction of the Chinese Welfare state has developed a lot over the last decade. Social welfare in China has in general undergone various changes throughout history and by the year 2020 the Chinese government has set a goal to diffuse the safety net within varies areas. Even though big changes already have happened， especially when it comes to health， pensions and some aspects of the unemployment and education problem there is still a long way and a lot to improve when it comes to other social risks – for example the policy on care – where the family still plays an important role.

Even though a lot of different aspects still can be improved in China the young Chinese still belie-ve that they can achieve and have the opportunity to reach their goals. According to Oyang Bida who is a 28-year old arts editor， the young Chinese want to work more because China is develo-ping which gives them more opportunities：

“China is now gradually rising. In spite of numerous social problems， young people are still given the opportunity to change their living quality by working hard. Therefore they still have the chance to pursue their dreams， ” Oyang Bida explains.

Sadaf Habibi who is a 26-year old Danish student is willing to work hard while she is young because the working experience is important to her. But she believes that working hard while being young both has its pros and cons：

“The cons are that you will not be able to enjoy your youth if youre working too hard. The pros are that you can develop yourself and financially secure your future，” she explains.

Harder competition in China

Zhu Yue who is a 28-year old translator and editor believes that young Chinese are more willing to work hard because of the great competition in China.

”The Chinese people have to be very competitive. We already start to compete with each other in kindergarten. Now that the economic situation has gotten worse in China， you need to work even harder or you will be replaced by others，”Zhu Yue explains.

He also explains that he does not think that the competition is as hard in Denmark because of the welfare system and the small population. The competition also gets harder because of the living costs in China， which has increased a lot in the past years and is still increasing.

“We have to work harder and harder to earn the money to deal with the increasing living costs. Furthermore the Chinese people， especially the males， are always told to ‘have a good career before establishing a family，” Zhu Yue explains.

According to the figures published by the Chinese Household Finance Survey of Chengdus Southwestern University of Finance and Economics 16.4 % of the urban population between the age of 21 and 25 with a undergraduate degree or a higher degree were unemployed in 2011. According figures from the Danish statistics Denmark has the 7th lowest unemployed rate in Europe with only 7.7 % unemployed in 2012.

According to Zhu Yue the competition is not only about getting a job but also about competing with other guys in order to show that you are a proper spouse.

“In todays society most people measure a mans success on how much money he earns. For us， not working hard even means that we cannot find the partner of our life. Another important thing is the tradition； we also have to work hard so that we can repay our parents and our homeland. ”