It's kind of weird how people in the US seem to struggle with work life balance. I'm constantly working for US companies remote from outside the US and I can work +/-40 hours per week without any problem.
I think for a lot it provides them a subconscious feeling of importance, and/or an excuse for failed goals in their personal life.
Management in our industry doesn't have this luxury and programmers realise it. The inevitable result is people start to measure how long your seat is kept warm and use that as a poor proxy for productivity. You also start to see politics seeping into everything.
If you are lucky with your employer you might be able to avoid it but I think that is unusual.