Sweden has cultivated a reputation of being an economically egalitarian “moral superpower,” 1 emphasizing the country’s progressive credentials on immigration policy, income equality, and a generous welfare state. This reputation has been validated by metrics like the Gini coefficient, which quantifies the level of income inequality in a country, and where Sweden ranks very well. According to the World Bank, Sweden had a Gini coefficient of 29.3 in 2019, one of the lowest in the world. For reference, Slovakia had the lowest measured income inequality at 23.2, while South Africa had the highest at 63.0. The United States, for comparison, was at 41.5, China at 38.2, and Russia at 35.3. 2 But while Swedish social democracy has led to limited income inequality, concentration of wealth is extreme. In 2021, Sweden measured 87.2 on the wealth inequality index, 3 higher than the U.S. (85), China (70.4), India (82.3), and just slightly less than Russia (87.8), the latter of which in particular is sometimes characterized as a rapacious oligarchy.
My Money, My Rules: Why I Won???t Let a Man Control My Finances
As a woman firmly in control of her financial destiny, I am vocal about a principle I hold dear: I will never let a man…