It sounds like you might not be a native English speaker so let me explain it more clearly. You said that others can't tell you that you work too hard. You dec

It sounds like you might not be a native English speaker so let me explain it more clearly. You said that others can't tell you that you work too hard. You decide if you work too hard. If you lived in North Korea and I told you that you're brainwashed, you would probably tell me that you decide if you're brainwashed. You would certainly also tell me that you are not brainwashed. No one in North Korea would say they're brainwashed. My point is that actual data is more useful to compare work cultures between countries than a citizen's perception. Next, I mentioned the US has abysmal parental leave and vacation policies. Policies here refers to official government laws/regulations that would enforce a right to take time off. The US doesn't have a minimum vacation policy and is the only industrialized nation to not have one. What you mentioned about not going to work is not a government policy. It's just a personal decision.