What's the problem if it's "privileged"? and it's not that insane. Lots of people take one year sabbatical, including students. In my country (France), it's even negotiable with your employer (it's a right if you worked in the company for more than 3 years I believe).
Yeah, Europe is different here, as we have social security from the state. In Germany you get continued pay by your health insurance (a certain percentage of your usual salary). It's far easier to do things like this when the state helps you with this.
