There is definitely a "sweet spot" where things could be very uncomfortable for you, if you're doing well enough to not qualify for government assistance but po

There is definitely a "sweet spot" where things could be very uncomfortable for you, if you're doing well enough to not qualify for government assistance but poorly enough to need some kind of help. In general I think a lot of stories are somewhat sensationalized and that our culture is more enthusiastically self-critical than Sweden's. Schools are an example, how you always hear about the ruinous costs of expensive schools, but it forgets all manner of grants, academic assistance, and the existence of much cheaper schools (everything from in-state to community colleges). A greater portion of American citizens have tertiary education compared to Sweden[1], so it would be weird if education were effectively/relatively more expensive here. Healthcare is similar. It's provided free to people who can't afford it and people with good jobs will get health insurance from their jobs. There is a window, the sweet spot I referred to, where people can "technically" afford healthcare so it isn't given free by the government, but affording it is a genuine hardship for them or an unexpected illness crushes them financially. You can also shrug off lots of medical debt by declaring bankruptcy or telling the hospital you will declare bankruptcy unless they negotiate better terms for you to pay - and hospitals can't turn you away in an emergency. Housing is impossibly expensive only in some areas and incredibly cheap in others. Go on Zillow and look at houses in Houston, for example. I expect you'll see large and luxurious houses for relatively good prices. Houses in some cities (Seattle, New York, SF) are expensive but not in all/most. Regarding overtime it depends how you get paid. If you're paid by the hour then unpaid overtime would be illegal. If you're paid salary then the expectation is that you do your job if it takes 8 hours a day or if it takes 12 (or if it takes 4). Some jobs exploit this but again, it's right in the sweet spot. High end jobs either compensate you enough so it's worth it (think: your high priced business lawyer will answer your 2 am phone call, but you pay him millions) and other jobs won't exploit you too much because you'll leave if they try it (work life balance isn't good). I have less knowledge around maternity leave and paid vacation. I've only seen that stuff from my perspective and I've been lucky enough to work at places where both have been generous. 1 - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_tertiary_education_attainment https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_tertiar...