Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
It wasn't until the 1930s that urban Swedes surpassed the number of rural Swedes, and
even the most seasoned urbanites commonly retain a strong affinity with nature. The rural
sommarstuga
(summer cottage) is almost de rigueur, at least as an aspiration; there are
around 600,000 second homes in Sweden, but no Swede doesn't want a little wooden cot-
tage in the country or on an island in the archipelago. As it is, Sweden boasts the highest
number of holiday cottages per capita in the world, and most of the people you'll run
across in campgrounds on summer holidays are Swedes themselves, enjoying the natural
wonders of their own country.
Another common sight that surprises and delights many visitors to Sweden is the large
number of men pushing baby strollers. Gender equality has advanced further in Sweden
than in most countries. The government has a Minister for Integration and Gender Equal-
ity, as well as the Office of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsman, the latter ensuring that
all employers and institutions of learning actively promote gender equality and prevent
sexual discrimination. Women make up nearly half of parliament members in the Riksdag
and enjoy enviable childcare services, and both parents are assured of plenty of childcare
leave from employers.
The new TV sitcom
Welcome to Sweden
offers a goofball take on the many eccentricit-
ies of Swedish culture from an outsider's point of view; created by Greg Poehler, the series
follows the various misadventures of an American who quits his job in New York and
moves to Sweden to be with his Swedish fiancee and her family.
