A good life

By most standards, life is comfortable in Sweden. Education is free from six years of age to university, and most health care and pension benefits are paid for by employer and income taxes.

Take, for example, an average electrician in Sweden. He is likely to have a three-room apartment in the city and may have a small summer cottage in the countryside together with his partner, who also works full time. The couple is able to afford a biofuel car and a yearly vacation abroad, while supporting two children in daycare.

Like all other workers in Sweden, the electrician also enjoys a minimum of five weeks of paid vacation per year, along with paid sick and parental leave. If he and his partner have a child, they are entitled to up to 480 days of paid leave. Since they are working, the couple is also allowed up to a combined 120 days of paid leave per year to care for sick children.

Sweden sees many of these benefits as necessary rights for everyone, regardless of income or social status. They help to make sure that all children are educated and healthy, and that people from all parts of society are offered equal opportunities. It is a collective effort; if everyone contributes, everyone benefits.