Working mother Gudrun Skuladottir appreciates her life in Sweden, where her two small children can receive a good education for free.
"In Sweden, schools are free. University is also free," Skuladottir, 29, who works on a bank management support team in Stockholm, said in an e-mail message.
Unlike in Japan, parents in Sweden don't have to wait to put their children into day care because there's no shortage of facilities. "I definitely feel like I'm benefiting from the social welfare," she said.