5 things the U.S. could learn from Europe washingtonpost

If you move abroad, you will miss certain things about home.
I moved to the United States in 2014. When I returned home to Germany this past summer, I looked forward to all of the aspects of life that I had considered to be better in Europe. But after few weeks, I suddenly started missing a lot about the United States.
No, living in Europe isn’t necessarily better than living in the United States. But there are certain things Americans and Europeans might consider copying from one another. This post focuses on things Americans could learn from the “old continent.” In a second post, I will write about the things Europe should consider copying from the United States.

1. Work less.
On average, Americans work longer hours than citizens of other wealthy countries that are part of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

 

There are some legitimate concerns about the European work ethic. France, for instance, basically shuts down at the end of the summer. Each August, the entire nation takes about a month-long vacation. Newscasts are broadcast in reduced makeshift editions because so few people are watching, and the country’s administration closes most of its offices. Tourists describe eerily abandoned streets in Paris because all locals have fled to beaches, mountains or resorts.
Despite all of that (or maybe because of it), French workers are among the most productive in Europe, according to Eurostat data from 2014. (Americans are still slightly more productive, though.) 
Copying at least some of Europe's relaxed work attitude would presumably change little about the United States' productivity, but prevent a lot of unnecessary stress.
2. Travel cheaper.
For sure, the United States is an extremely big country. But still, why does it seem as if so few Americans travel abroad? About two-thirds of all Americans don’t even have a passport, according to the State Department. To be fair, more Americans now hold passports than ever before. About 15 years ago, there were 50 percent fewer passports in circulation.
If you do decide to travel abroad, you might want to skip renting a car and check out some alternatives:
The map below illustrates which far-away areas can be reached within a certain time from the four selected cities: London, Paris, Rome and Madrid. France in particular has managed to build a high-speed railway network, which is also quite cheap.

Less comfortable, but sometimes cheaper than train rides are low-budget planes. Companies such as easyJet, Ryanair and Air Berlin offer cheap intracontinental flights all across Europe — and are dearly missed by Europeans who move to the United States. A flight from London to Copenhagen, for example, can cost about $15 on one of the budget carriers.

3. Limit portion sizes.

You’ve probably heard this already, but: Europeans who care about their health probably wouldn’t follow a traditional American diet. It probably sounds kind of pretentious for Europeans to argue that European food will make you live longer, but many Americans who have lived on the other side of the Atlantic tend to agree.
“We should also learn about farmers markets and the importance of local agriculture — both as a way of being sustainable and of eating fresher foods,” said Nikita Perumal, a Columbia University student who spent two years in Europe.
But it’s not only about what you eat, but also how much. “Super-sized portions at restaurants have distorted what Americans consider a normal portion size, and that affects how much we eat at home as well,” Elizabeth G. Nabel, the director of National Institutes of Health’s National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, is quoted as saying on the institute’s Web site.
Europeans aren’t necessarily less hungry than Americans, but cultural habits and governmental pressure have limited portion sizes in many countries. France, for instance, in 2011, banned ketchup from most meals served in school cafeterias to reduce obesity and to preserve its traditional food culture. When American-style “free refills” were recently introduced at fast-food restaurants in France, the backlash by experts and restaurant owners was swift and sustained.
Vending machines have been replaced with water tanks in schools, and companies are required to warn potential consumers of health hazards in advertisements. The efforts have paid off: In 2010, a study found that obesity levels had not increased in France since 1998 for children of higher-income parents and observed a similar, if weaker, trend among lower-income youths.
4. How about making elite colleges a bit less elitist? 
Okay, Europeans (except for Britons) might be a bit jealous of your higher education: Even Austrians wear Stanford sweaters and think it’s pretty cool. We all know that American higher education is remarkable.
But it’s only good for those who can afford it. Since 1985, U.S. college costs have surged by about 500 percent, and tuition fees keep rising. Elsewhere, they’ve done the opposite, as WorldViews has reported before. In many European countries, including Finland, France, Norway and Sweden, you can graduate from some of the most excellent universities without having to pay tuition fees. In other nations, taxpayers’ money funds at least most of a student’s higher education.
“Europe hosts approximately 32 percent of the top 1,000 universities in the world, and usually charges lower tuition costs, which means American students can get a high quality education for a fraction of the costs,” Carmen Neghina, a researcher for course-comparison Web site studyportals.eu told The Washington Post in an e-mail.
“What we do know is that international students within Europe are very satisfied with their study experience, particularly in the U.K., Sweden and Austria,” Neghina explained.

5. Work harder for gender equal

And then, there’s paternity leave: In Sweden, for a total of 480 days, either the father or the mother of newborn children are legally entitled to receive 80 percent of their previous salaries. Most other European countries offer similar, if shorter, options.
The United States, however, doesn’t guarantee maternity leave — and most other developed countries wonder why. In France, for instance, children can use public transportation for free or receive discounts. The same applies to museums, cinemas, theaters and virtually any other cultural institution.
As WorldViews reported in April, Sweden recently recognized a gender-neutral pronoun in the newest edition of the country’s official dictionary. The Swedish Academy’s SAOL dictionary now features “hen” as an alternative to the male pronoun “han” and the female “hon.”
Support for the idea has also come from nurseries, kindergartens and preschools, which increasingly argue that the pronoun’s usage allows children to grow up without feeling the effect of gender biases. In some nurseries, toys and games traditionally meant for either boys or girls are placed deliberately next to one another, in the hope that children will feel free to choose the items with which they feel most comfortable spending their time.

Politicians in Germany recently demanded to transform some "traffic light men" into "traffic light women," and some lights switched in 2013. (Karl Josef-Hildenbrand/AFP via Getty Images)

In Germany, some have questioned one attempt to deal with gender inequality: For decades, traffic lights in Germany have depicted little male figures to guide pedestrians. Politicians in Germany recently demanded to transform at least some “traffic light men” into “traffic light women.”  see details