Most Eurozone countries are suffering under the severe cutbacks required by the debt crisis, but not Germany. While French workers have slashed their leisurely lunches from the typical hour and a half twenty years ago to a brief twenty-two minutes in 2012, the German government has now introduced Grosselternzeit, grandparents’ leave. Grandparents are entitled to take off any three years between birth and age eight to assist parents in caring for their child. Part of that time will be subsidized by the government and workers who take advantage of this benefit will have the guaranteed right to return to their jobs after their leave is over. It may seem like an extravagance in these hard economic times but it is a reflection of German industriousness. Those who work hard earn a suitable reward.
