In my limited experience (I immigrated to a developing country in Asia 10 years ago) it's more common to inherit your sole home from your parents, and live with

In my limited experience (I immigrated to a developing country in Asia 10 years ago) it's more common to inherit your sole home from your parents, and live with them in it your whole lives. It's not unusual to have three or four families living in a 20 square meter home -- although these properties thankfully usually have 2-3 floors. So you're never alone, ever -- for better and worse. Wealth here is primarily inherited, not earned. It is uncommon for people to afford to buy an apartment over the course of their lives. In my city at least, an OK apartment is around USD 200k-300k (not even close to the city center). An OK salary is about USD 500 a month. The free daycare aspect is absolutely critical so that both parents can work, and maybe bring in enough to send their children to university. It's not uncommon for one or both parents to additionally have a side gig evenings or weekends. Later on, maybe when one parent can afford to work less, you care for your parents. Also as an additional thing, there's always a family shrine. You still cook meals for ancestors. You leave a place for them at special occasions, and celebrate their death anniversary. It's not unusual for someone to stand up in front of the shrine and talk to them for a long period. I'm not a spiritual person, but that frequent shared connection to the past, and its interaction with grief, is interesting. Anyway, I thought you would appreciate that small slice of life here.