Anna Brech 20th Sep 9 min read. Could this counter-trend be a model for happier, more honest relationships? Not in Norway , though. Bourrelle, author of The Social Guidebook to Norway. Then you invite for a second date and then for dinner. Because dinners in Norway are not a way of getting to know people. They are the result of an established relationship. It is quite normal to sleep together on the second or third date. Then you could go and have dinner. Or have an activity to do together, like a bike ride, hike, swim or something.
Higher executive officer Linn Kristin Sande recognises this experience. For her and her friends, a typical series of dates will begin with beers and sex, before graduating to the more serious business of seeing a movie together.
But when it comes to actually forming a relationship, the time frame becomes more leisurely. I have known people who hang out for months and months before they call it a relationship. Commitment-shy sometimes translates to flaky in relationships , but in Norway the concept seems to carry more integrity. Norwegians are famously reserved, and so emotional intimacy may come with a higher premium here; proper commitment takes time.
Getting sex out of the way early plays into this honesty. And rather than being meaningless, it may even create room for greater emotional resonance. Michael agrees. Even today, our conversations around sex are so coated in cultural expectations it can be hard to grasp that, a. The Norwegian approach to dating shows both these statements to be true. When you remove sex as the endgame of a new relationship, you create a more honest and equal playing field.
This is particularly true for women, who historically have been given a passive role in the dating process. Women are free to decide their own sexuality and sexual needs. Instead of feeling like a pawn, they get to assert their own sexual agency. This emphasis on equality extends to all relationships in Norway.
