OK, I'll bite as I actually work in Stockholm.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DWBOX2000
I guess they get 5 weeks vacation from day one
|
Many companies have 6 weeks. But 5 weeks is guaranteed by law. I have 6 weeks. Teachers have more. So do government employees.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DWBOX2000
16 weeks of maturity leave, free health and education.
|
I suppose you mean "maternity"? It is not 16 weeks, it is 480 days maximum. But amount of money varies depending on how much you earn, how long you stay at home etc. It is a sliding scale. And yes, a dad can stay at home as well. A chunk of paid leave is "earmarked" per parent and cannot be transferred .
More info:
https://sweden.se/life/society/work-life-balance
Quote:
|
Parents in Sweden are entitled to 480 days of paid parental leave when a child is born or adopted. Each parent – should they be two – is entitled to 240 of those days. If the child is born in 2016 or later, each parent has 90 days reserved exclusively for him/her. Should he/she decide not to take these, they can’t be transferred to the partner. A single parent is entitled to a full 480 days.
|
Personally, I stayed at home with our third child for half a year with 90% of full pay (my company has a policy to "fill up" maternity leave on the top of what you get from state). I ended up having more money than ever as I did not have time to spend it (no lunches, commuting etc.) Re: health. You pay some token amount when going to doctor...like 10 bucks. But if it amounts to more than like, 200 bucks a year the rest is free. Same with medicine.
Child care is free. So is education.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DWBOX2000
They pay a lot in tax. Not sure the tax, just said tax. My question is, can a regular Joe have all the toys a middle class person can have here in The U.S. such as a boat or a weekend car? Curious if they give up individuality for security? Seems like you would have a small group of wealthy and everyone else. Thanks.
|
Boats and weekend cars are quite common. I do not understand the question of lost "individuality" ? I need to ask local council to enlarge my house, as it is in planned area. I cannot drive lifted truck with coal tune, as it will fail MOT. And smoking pot is still not legal.
Sweden is ranked as No.1 in the world for "personal freedom", whatever it means.