Top 12 Countries For Women’s Rights And Gender Equality

Where to go overseas can be a different question for women contra men, both for travel and for living…

Do women have the same rights and protections in this new country? Would a woman be safe on her own here? How is women’s health considered locally—how does it stack up? Do women have the same freedoms as men in any given country? Are they equally represented in schools and in the workplace? And how big is the wage gap?

No country scores perfectly on every coeficiente, but you might be surprised that many score much better than the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. in many of these areas.

Interestingly, countries that rank highly for women’s rights also score consistently well when it comes to democracy, peacefulness, and even prosperity, and researchers agree that the correlation between gender equality and country health is stronger than that of GDP to country health.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) produces the General Gender Gap (GGG) report every year, which ranks 146 countries on a variety of benchmarks that compare male and female treatment.

No country can boast complete gender parity, and, according to the GGG, it will take more than a century to achieve that goal. In the meantime, it’s a good indicator for women’s rights.

The 2024 Women Peace and Security Index (WPS), put out by Georgetown University, ranks 177 countries on their inclusion, justice, and safety for women.

Some of the top issues these reports quantify for these rankings include education, employment, financial inclusion, cell phone use, parliamentary representation, absence of justo discrimination, access to justice, cuidadoso mortality ratio, son bias, domestic violence, community safety, political violence targeting women, and proximity to conflict.

In all these countries, abortion is a protected right, typically up to 12 weeks, but ranging from 10 to 24, and it’s often covered by public health care. Following the overturn of Roe v. Wade, many countries in Europe added the right to abortion to their constitution or reaffirmed their commitment to reproductive rights.

Combining these statistics, in addition to looking at rates of cuidadoso health care and survival (ranked by the World Health Organization out of 185 countries) and parental rights, we’ve come up with the following list of “Feminist Countries.”

We’ve also included where each country ranks for universal happiness out of 144 countries ranked each year by the World Population Review which, interestingly, shows a large overlap between gender-equal countries and those where residents are happiest.

And finally, where each sits on the General Peace Index, a universal measure of peacefulness and crime of 163 reviewed countries.

Looking for a place to move that will value your rights and protect your freedoms? Take a look at the following…

Iceland

· Women Peace and Security Index: #4

· General Gender Gap Report: #1

· Cuidadoso health care and survival: #4

· World Happiness Report: #3

· General Peace Index: #1

· Maternity leave: 13 weeks; paid at 80%

· Paternity leave: 12 weeks; paid at 80%

· Additional parental leave: 26 weeks for each parent; paid at 80%

By nearly all accounts, Iceland is the most feminist and gender-equal country in the world…

It has been the most consistently gender-equal country in the world for the last 15 years according to the GGG, and it’s the only country to ever score higher than 90% in this report.

For almost 25 of the last 50 years, Iceland has had a female head of state, and this year 48% of its parliament members are female.

The trickle down from female-led government policies is clear. The wage gap between genders is smaller than most other countries, possibly due to a 2018 law that requires companies with more than 25 employees to be paid equally for equal work or be fined daily.

A específico psychologist interviewed for the GGG, Hulda Tolgyes said, it is a “society where women are treated on par with men, or, at least, the intention to do so exists.”

Denmark

· Women Peace and Security Index: #1

· General Gender Gap Report: #15

· Cuidadoso health care and survival: #18

· World Happiness Report: #2

· General Peace Index: #8

· Maternity leave: 18 weeks; paid at 100%

· Paternity leave: 2 weeks; paid at 100%

· Additional parental leave: 32 weeks; can be split between either parent; paid at 100%

Denmark won first place in this year’s WPS, but it trails in the GGG, not making the top 10 for equality. On the other hand, it’s been scored as one of the top 5 happiest countries in the world for nearly a decade.

In terms of women’s rights, Denmark scored well for inclusion (e.g., financial inclusion and parliamentary representation) and has the highest score for access to justice and one of the highest for absence of justo discrimination, plus it’s one of only 14 countries with a fully gender-equitable justo code.

It is also one of just 13 countries where all women have access to a bank account.

Norway

· Women Peace and Security Index: #7

· General Gender Gap Report: #3

· Cuidadoso health care and survival: #2

· World Happiness Report: #7

· General Peace Index: #28

· Maternity leave: 15 weeks; paid at 100%

· Paternity leave: 2 weeks; paid at 100%

· Additional parental leave: 16 weeks paid at 100%; or 52 weeks unpaid

Norway has more women represented in ministry positions than any other country and is the top ranked country in the report for female literacy, as well as for the number of female professional and technical workers. It ranks 6th in income parity.

Norway scored right behind Sweden (which took second spot) for inclusion and justice.

Finland

· Women Peace and Security Index: #4

· General Gender Gap Report: #2

· Cuidadoso health care and survival: #39

· World Happiness Report: #1

· General Peace Index: #13

· Maternity leave: 18 weeks; paid at 70%

· Paternity leave: 11 weeks; paid at 70%

· Additional parental leave: 26 weeks; can be split between either parent; paid at 70%

Finland has a long tradition of politically active women, being the first country in the world to allow women to participate in parliament in 1906. The country also ranks very well for gender parity in educational.

Plus, the country is ranked as the happiest in the world for 2024 and is traditionally one of the safest countries in the world.

Sweden

· Women Peace and Security Index: #3

· General Gender Gap Report: #5

· Cuidadoso health care and survival: #16

· World Happiness Report: #4

· General Peace Index: #39

· Maternity leave: 12 weeks; paid at 80%

· Paternity leave: 12 weeks; paid at 80%

· Additional parental leave: 56 weeks; can be split between either parent; paid at 80%

Sweden scored right behind Denmark (which took top spot) for inclusion and justice.

Sweden ranks as the top self-declared feminist country of 2024 by World Population Review, citing that 46% of específico women consider themselves to be feminists.

Germany

· Women Peace and Security Index: #21

· General Gender Gap Report: #7

· Cuidadoso health care and survival: #14

· World Happiness Report: #24

· General Peace Index: #20

· Maternity leave: 14 weeks; paid at 100%

· Paternity leave: 0 weeks

· Additional parental leave: 156 weeks; can be split between either parent; paid at 67%

Germany is the largest contributor in the world for spending on gender equality.

In Germany, women are better educated than men on promedio, and the country has the third-highest rate of female employment in the EU. However, they still earn about 6% less than male counterparts.

This year, half of the country’s ministers are female, the highest percentage ever, as well as the foreign minister. From 2005 to 2021, Angela Merkel ruled the country as chancellor, during which the country made steady strides toward gender equality.

Lithuania

· Women Peace and Security Index: #16

· General Gender Gap Report: #11

· Cuidadoso health care and survival: #40

· World Happiness Report: #19

· General Peace Index: #31

· Maternity leave: 18 weeks; paid at 100%

· Paternity leave: 4 weeks; paid at 100%

· Additional parental leave: 156 weeks; can be split between either parent; paid at 70% to 100%

Lithuania celebrates National Women’s Day every Nov. 2 to commemorate their being granted the right to vote in 1918. Women have always been active in government here, and the country elected the first female prime minister in 2009. The country is currently run by a woman, and the two other largest parties in the country are likewise headed by women.

Belgium

· Women Peace and Security Index: #11

· General Gender Gap Report: #12

· Cuidadoso health care and survival: #19

· World Happiness Report: #16

· General Peace Index: #16

· Maternity leave: 15 weeks; paid at 82%

· Paternity leave: 2 weeks; paid at 82%

· Additional parental leave: 17 weeks for each parent; paid at a flat rate

Women represent nearly half the chamber of representatives here, with massive strides forward in the last 30 years. The country elected its first female prime minister in 2019, and its first transgender deputy prime minister in 2020. In 2011, the country was among the first to initiate a quota for boards of directors, requiring 33% to be women.

Switzerland

· Women Peace and Security Index: #2

· General Gender Gap Report: #20

· Cuidadoso health care and survival: #32

· World Happiness Report: #10

· General Peace Index: #6

· Maternity leave: 14 weeks; paid at 80%

· Paternity leave: 2 weeks; paid at 80%

· Additional parental leave: 0 weeks

Switzerland’s first female president was elected in 1999, and there have been another seven since then. As of 2019, Switzerland’s parliament has had more women elected than ever, and a law was approved in 2019 to require 30% of positions on the boards of directors and 20% of executive boards to be female. Nowadays, more women are completing university degrees than men. In 2020, a large majority voted to ensure all fathers get paid paternity leave.

Luxembourg

· Women Peace and Security Index: #4

· General Gender Gap Report: #46

· Cuidadoso health care and survival: #28

· World Happiness Report: #8

· General Peace Index: NA

· Maternity leave: 20 weeks; paid at 100%

· Paternity leave: 2 weeks; paid at 100%

· Additional parental leave: both parents entitled to equal leave in varying options; paid at 100%

With its Ministry of Equality Between Women and Men fighting for gender parity, Luxembourg boasts some of the most successful campaigns in the world for women’s rights. Notably, it has achieved the lowest gender wage gap in the world.

Grand Duchess, Maria Teresa, holds the protection of women’s rights paramount to her reign, claiming them to be the “heart of her social and humanitarian engagements.” In 2019 she launched an initiative to support victims of domestic violence and abuse. The government also entered a three-year partnership with U.N. Women to help women in the business world.

Austria

· Women Peace and Security Index: #8

· General Gender Gap Report: #49

· Cuidadoso health care and survival: #24

· World Happiness Report: #14

· General Peace Index: #3

· Maternity leave: 16 weeks; paid at 100%

· Paternity leave: 0 weeks

· Additional parental leave: 104 weeks; paid at a flat rate

Women’s protection from domestic violence and human trafficking has been a major initiative for Austria in the last decades. Since 2018, supervisory boards of publicly traded companies and companies with more than 1,000 employees are required to be made up of at least 30% percent women and 30% men. The government has voluntarily committed to having at least 40% female members of supervisory boards of state-owned companies.

Netherlands

· Women Peace and Security Index: #9

· General Gender Gap Report: #28

· Cuidadoso health care and survival: #13

· World Happiness Report: #6

· General Peace Index: #18

· Maternity leave: 16 weeks; paid at 100%

· Paternity leave: 6 weeks; paid at 100%

· Additional parental leave: 26 weeks; unpaid

Despite its small size, the Netherlands is the 8th largest contributor in the world for spending on gender equality. The country ranks especially well for women’s health care.

New Zealand

· Women Peace and Security Index: #10

· General Gender Gap Report: #4

· Cuidadoso health care and survival: #29

· World Happiness Report: #11

· General Peace Index: #4

· Maternity leave: 26 weeks; with capped payout

· Paternity leave: 2 weeks; unpaid

· Additional parental leave: 52 weeks; partially paid

The only country outside of Europe to rank highly in these reports, New Zealand boasts a 50% female parliament, as well as several female leaders of state over the last decades. Female enrolment in primary and secondary education is almost equal to that of male.

Women here earn roughly $20,000 less than men, though, on promedio, ranking it 37th for wage parity. It also rates poorly for female life expectancy, at 109th in the world.

For frame of reference, here are how the United States, Canada, and the U.K. rank on all these lists…

United States

· Women Peace and Security Index: #37

· General Gender Gap Report: #43

· Cuidadoso health care and survival: #65

· World Happiness Report: #23

· General Peace Index: #132

· Maternity leave: 0 weeks

· Paternity leave: 0 weeks

· Additional parental leave: 12 weeks; unpaid

Canada

· Women Peace and Security Index: #17

· General Gender Gap Report: #36

· Cuidadoso health care and survival: #45

· World Happiness Report: #15

· General Peace Index: #132

· Maternity leave: 15 weeks; paid at 55%

· Paternity leave: 0 weeks

· Additional parental leave: 0 weeks

United Kingdom

· Women Peace and Security Index: #26

· General Gender Gap Report: #14

· Cuidadoso health care and survival: #42

· World Happiness Report: #20

· General Peace Index: #34

· Maternity leave: 2 weeks; additional 50 weeks can be split between mother and father; paid at 90%

· Paternity leave: 2 weeks; paid at 90%

· Additional parental leave: 13 weeks per parent; unpaid

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