Historian and writer Dr. Amanda Foreman wrote, ""Whether you look to the past or the present, the inclusion of women is vital to a prosperous and peaceful society". The prosperity of a society can be measured by how that society values women. In matters involving maternity leave, domestic violence, equal pay, political representation, and sex equality in family law, where do women have it best?
1) Maternity Leave
The United States is the only industrialized nation that does not mandate paid maternity leave. The Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 guarantees women their jobs 12 weeks after giving birth, but does not mandate that women receive any salary — clearly a disincentive, if not complete obstacle, to taking advantage of maternity leave.
The U.K. offers women 280 days at 90 percent pay. Russia offers 140 days at 100 percent pay. This infographic provides a glimpse of pro-woman, pro-child countries with excellent maternity benefits.
Other parts of the world extend a gesture of gender equality of which American mothers likely have never dreamed. Beyond mandated, paid maternity leave, several countries, including Netherlands, Sweden, Indonesia, France, Brazil, Australia,U.K., Spain and Saudia Arabia offer paid paternity leave, as well.
2) Freedom from Domestic Violence
The World Health Organization defines “intimate partner violence” as “behavior by an intimate partner or ex-partner that causes physical, sexual or psychological harm, including physical aggression, sexual coercion, psychological abuse and controlling behaviors.”
North America has the lowest rate of domestic violence against women. Worldwide, one-third of women worldwide suffer from domestic abuse. The WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan stated, “Violence against women is a global health problem of epidemic proportions.”
3) Equal Pay
Countries with the smallest gender wage gap, of 0 - 10 percent, include Slovenia, New Zealand, Spain, Belgium and Norway. The gender pay gap in Canada and the United States are among the highest, with those countries paying women an average of 19.2 and 17.8 percent less respectively.
4) Political Representation
According to the U.N., 30 percent is an important benchmark, worldwide, for women’s representation in politics.
As of January 2015, the percentage of women parliamentarians at all levels was as follows:
- Nordic countries stood at 41.5 percent.
- The Americas were 26.3 percent.
- Europe, excluding Nordic countries, were seen at 23.8 percent.
- Sub-Saharan Africa showed 22.2 percent.
- Asia registered 18.5 percent.
- The Middle East and North Africa stood at 16.1 percent.
- The Pacific had 15.7 percent.
5) Sex Equality in Family Law
Legal matters pertaining to marriage, divorce, property, inheritance and parenting fall under the jurisdiction of “family law.” Also called personal status law, it is pivotal to institutionalized gender equality around the world.
Researchers Mala Htun and Laurel Weldon, writing for the World Development Report 2012, have explained that family law “molds social identities and distributes rights and responsibilities, forging relations of power between men and women, parents and children, brothers and sisters.”
They reported in 2005 that women experience the most equality in family law in the United States, Brazil, Peru, Columbia, Bostwana, Australia, Russia and most of Europe. The most discriminatory countries with regard to family law are Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Malaysia, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
Sources:
Time With A Newborn: Maternity Leave Policies Around The World. NPR.org. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
http://www.npr.org/2011/08/09/137062676/time-with-a-newborn-maternity-leave-policies-around-the-world
Women's Rights. hrw.org. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
https://www.hrw.org/topic/womens-rights
SEX EQUALITY IN FAMILY LAW: HISTORICAL LEGACIES, FEMINIST ACTIVISM, AND RELIGIOUS POWER IN 70 COUNTRIES. worldbank.org. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTWDR2012/Resources/7778105-1299699968583/7786210-1322671773271/Htun-Weldon-family-law-paper-april-11.pdf
Paid Parental Leave: U.S. vs. The World. huffintonpost.com. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/04/maternity-leave-paid-parental-leave-_n_2617284.html
Violence against women. who.org. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs239/en
The Global Gender Gap Report 2014. weforum.org. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
http://www.weforum.org/reports/global-gender-gap-report-2014
Facts and Figures: Leadership and Political Participation. UNWomen.org. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
http://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/leadership-and-political-participation/facts-and-figures#sthash.Wc0eggCe.dpufhttp://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/leadership-and-political-participation/facts-and-figures
Reviewed August 27, 2015
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith