Where in the world is best for women?

Lately it feels as if every other week there’s a new city or country being named the best place in which to live or to visit. But here’s a title with a subtle difference. The best country in which to be a woman has just been revealed from data collected from over 7000 women who completed the surveys for the 2016 Best Countries rankings.

Sorry fellas, you’ll have to sit this one out…

As part of an initiative from BAV Consulting and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, countries have been ranked based on factors including adventure, citizenship, cultural influence, entrepreneurship, heritage, movers, open for business, power and quality of life.

The Best Countries for Women were determined by a slightly different set of attributes, namely gender equality, caring about human rights, income equality, safety and progressive thinking.

So where in the world should you be if you’re a woman? Without further ado the winners are:

1. Denmark
2. Sweden
3. Canada
4. The Netherlands
5. Australia
6. New Zealand
7. Germany
8. United Kingdom
9. Luxembourg
10. Austria

Ok, so we didn’t quite take out the title, but it’s good news Australia still made it into the top five due to more women taking leadership roles in Australian universities, workplaces, boardrooms and in government. The Netherlands was noted for the benefits it provides to new mothers, with Canada’s government getting a mention for protecting women’s rights as part of its domestic and foreign policy. The Swedes apparently have the most progressive attitudes toward gender equality and the overall winner, Denmark, was rewarded for their parental leave policy, which is one of the most flexible in the European Union.

When it comes to the best countries in which to live in for both genders, the results were similar, although Australia sadly slipped to sixth place, although not sliding as far as Denmark, which dropped to tenth position:

1. Germany
2. Canada
3. United Kingdom
4. United States
5. Sweden
6. Australia
7. Japan
8. France
9. The Netherlands
10. Denmark

What do you think of these results? Do they surprise you? Do you think Australia deserves to be in the top five best countries for women? 

View the full list of Best Countries for Women here.

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