SOCIAL PROBLEMS IN NORWAY

SOCIAL PROBLEMS IN NORWAY

Norway has been a leader in children's rights for nearly three decades, placing an emphasis on child care that provides for the general well-being of all Norwegian children.  This article addresses the different aspects of Norwegian society that allows the country to be in the forefront of children's rights.

Norway is located in northern Europe and is bordered by the North Sea, the North Atlantic Ocean, Sweden, Finland, and Russia.  The government is a constitutional monarchy and it consists of 19 counties. 

Population	4,610,820
Population Under 14	19.3%
Birth Rate	11.46/1000 ppl.
Life Expectancy	79.54 years
Infant Mortality	3.67/1000 live births

Although Norwegian children have a far better life than those of underdeveloped nations they still face a number of social problems.

FAMILY DISINTEGRATION

Like many countries of today Norway is experiencing a decrease in the stability of marriage.  On top of this, cohabitation has become much more acceptable and as a result more children are being born into consensual unions.  This trend understandably has a number of implications for the children involved.  First off, these unions have proved to be less stable then marriages.  A divorce of this kind, although it may not mean much legally, still has a negative impact on the children.    

AGEING POPULATION
Like most of Europe, Norway faces an increasingly large elderly population while the percentage of young people continues to dwindle. Children from ages 0-14 now only make up about 20 percent of the population as compared to 35 percent in 1900.  This decreased share of the population has a negative implication for children.  Since children, like the elderly, are not part of the workforce, they must compete for funds provided both by the government and by family members.  Clearly a middle aged parent who now has to take care of their ageing parents will have less time and money with which to take care of their children.  Similarly the government must now decide whether to allocate funds to things like health care for the elderly or schools for young people.  Nevertheless, Norway has one of the highest fertility rates in Europe and therefore has less of a problem with ageing then most European countries. All of these things create problems for children as well as the rest of the population.

FACTS ABOUT FAMILY LIFE

Families are very important in Norway.  This is shown through Norwegian history that traces back to the Viking times.  Most families tend to be small in size, and this is one reason why families are also very close.  Family members make frequent trips to visit relatives, along with going to special events such as weddings, christenings, confirmations, and funerals.  The standard of living in typical Norwegian families is very high, and because of this, many families characterize themselves as middle class.  It is common for Norwegians to have small cottages along the coast or in the mountains, and this house serves as a place for a weekend trip.  In the family, the husbands and wives usually consider themselves equal in authority, and they tend to emphasize shared responsibility in raising their children.  

DIVORCE

The types of families in Norway are changing.  Most children live with both their mother and their father in the traditional nuclear family for their entire childhood.  However, there is an increase in the occurrences of nontraditional families, such as extra-marital births, consensual unions, divorces, and stepfamilies.  Today, almost 50% of all children are born outside of marriages.    A great majority, between 5-10% of all children, are born to a single mother.  Overall, stepfamilies are the fastest growing type of family in Norway, and this usually consists of the mother and a stepfather.  The absence of the father is a hardship that faces Norwegian children each day.  However, it is growing more unusual for fathers not to keep in contact with their children.  This helps to ease the hardships of the absent father.  All of these children that are born outside of marriage are at an increased risk for future family dissolutions.       
   
More families are ending in divorce than ever before for several possible reasons.  The modernization of relationships in Norway changes how adults approach marriage.  Some would argue that Norwegians are becoming less committed to partnerships through cohabitations and consensual unions than through marriages.  This may also represent the emphasis on individualism in Norwegian society.  Another reason that adult relationships are resulting in fewer marriages is the generous welfare system.  The Norwegian welfare system sustains all mothers and their children even if they are a part of a consensual union, and therefore, women are not as reliant on marriage for support.  

 REFUGEES

Although they are not Norwegian born, there is a group of asylum seeking refugees who continue to be neglected by Norwegian government.  These children come from numerous countries such as Afghanistan Iraq and Somalia. When they, like the 424 who came in 2004 alone, arrive in Norway, they are placed in asylum centers.  Here, they unfortunately do not receive any of the children's welfare programs that natives do.  Also they have very little in terms of legal protection.  Also, a lack of funding has caused some children and their families to remain in these supposedly temporary centers for upwards of three years.

ABUSE

A small percentage of Norway's children face a very serious problem in the form of sexual and physical abuse.  Between 5 and 10% of norwegian children experience some form of sexual abuse.  Repetitive domestic violence also affects nearly 100,000 children.  Children also experience abuse from peers as 5% report being bullied at school.  Norway attempts to combat these problems through a number of welfare agencies. In 2004, over 37,000 children received some form of assistance from the Child Welfare Service.  Nearly 7,000 of these children were placed into protective custody such as foster homes.