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Comment by Aeolun | Hacker News Reader

> Social mobility here means that if you are born destitute you have a chance to become part of the middle-income class

I’m inclined to say that it’s pretty much a given. It’s really hard to be unable to live a sort of comfortable life in Europe (you might not have a brand new TV, but you’ll have your own house and Netflix).

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Your own house? Homeownership rates in Western Europe are ridiculously low. Here in Switzerland, many are renting for life.

Parent probably meant renting not owning. Although in Europe there is some social housing poor people can buy, while if you're middle class you're kinda screwed as you're considered too rich to be allowed to buy into social housing but are too poor to afford buying into upper class housing and middle class housing in almost a disappearing species. You either live in the nice green quiet areas where all the old money is or you'll be a renter your whole life.

Interesting to hear, in Belgium for example the homeownership rate seems high(speaking from living here for a while). The culture is very much geared towards buying a house, alone or with a spouse. It's also a small country where people don't move alot, which might mean that they don't value flexibility as much as larger countries where moving is generally over larger distances.

Also, the banks offer very good rates for these types of loans if you have a stable job and prospect.

Renting for very long periods seem like a waste for many people here.

It's not a given. Lots of people with low IQ or terrible character traits end up living in poverty by constantly fucking up.

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