In 2018, Chandrika moved from a small town near Tirupati to Stockholm as a dependent spouse, barely knowing anything about Sweden. Seven years later, she is a Solution Architect at Scania, a mother of two, and an NRI who has quietly done the math, and chosen to make Sweden home.
In a conversation with financialexpress.com, Chandrika opened up about the realities behind the “dream European life,” from language barriers and isolation to parental leave benefits, high taxes, and eventually building a stable professional identity in Stockholm.
From dependent spouse to job seeker
Before Sweden, Chandrika had already built a foundation in India, working at Cognizant and later transitioning into SAP Materials Management. In 2018, when her husband received an offer from Scania, the family took the plunge.
As a dependent spouse, the biggest challenge was not just professional; it was personal. The early days were brutally isolating. “Everything was new. I stayed at home with my son, no TV, nothing,” she recalled. Job hunting on a dependent visa felt overwhelming, with no local experience, limited Swedish language skills, and almost no network.
But Chandrika was quick to adapt. She enrolled in free Swedish language classes, reworked her CV to local standards, and started applying aggressively. Within a year, she landed her first role through a Telugu consulting firm, moved to Electrolux, and eventually returned to Scania as a Solution Architect in the AP domain.
The realities of Sweden’s family support system
However, despite all the early struggles, the generous parental leave system proved to be a game-changer. In Sweden parents can share 480 days of leave per child, with the flexibility to use them until the child turns 12. Daycare (förskola) is reliable, subsidised, and widely available. “You don’t feel guilty taking time off for your child. “Society actually supports working parents,” Chandrika said.
According to Sweden’s Social Insurance Agency, Försäkringskassan, each parent is entitled to 240 days of parental leave, with 90 days reserved specifically for each parent. The remaining days can be shared between parents in a way that suits the family. In most cases, parents receive around 80% of their salary for up to 390 days, while the remaining 90 days are paid at a lower flat rate.
But that support comes with a clear financial trade-off. With taxes ranging around 30–40% and a high cost of living in cities like Stockholm, she said the reality is far more balanced than the “ideal Europe” perception. “You get stability, but not necessarily high savings,” she explained. “Most of the income goes into running the household.”
Despite these challenges, Chandrika believes the Swedish model wins for working mothers. The stress-free work culture (rarely any after-hours calls), safe environment, and quality education for children made the trade-off worthwhile.
Work-life balance that ends at 5 PM
For Chandrika, one of the most striking differences in Sweden is the workplace culture. Work begins early, but it also ends on time. After office hours, communication stops. Emails and messages do not follow employees into evenings or weekends. “There is no stress after working hours,” she says. “Once you log off, you are done for the day.”
As a mother of two, she says this structure has been central to maintaining balance between career and family life.
Building a life, and deciding to stay
The family’s immigration journey moved from a two-year employer-sponsored work visa to Permanent Residency after four years, and they are now exploring the path to citizenship. However, proposed rule changes from 2026, including longer residency requirements, mandatory language tests, and higher income thresholds, have created a sense of uncertainty within sections of the Indian community in Sweden.
Even so, whenever the couple weighed the option of returning to India, the decision consistently tilted the same way. The defining factor was quality of life, a strong work-life balance, personal safety, clean surroundings, and a more structured long-term environment for raising their children, now aged 10 and 3.
“Emotionally, India will always be home,” Chandrika says. “But practically, Sweden offers a more balanced and stable environment for raising a family.”
Over time, the family has also built a close-knit Telugu-Indian community around Stockholm, which has helped ease long winters and reduce feelings of isolation.