Best countries for women to work and live in 2024

Despite significant global achievements over the past decades, women still face many inequalities. In fact, estimates from the World Economic Forum (WEF) suggest that the global gender gap is only 68.4% closed (based on data for 2023).

Gender equality means equal rights and opportunities for men and women. It encompasses many different dimensions that range from equal pay for equal work to political participation to career opportunities and financial inclusion.

Gender gaps vary from country to country and region to region. While some countries are making continuous improvements towards closing their gender gaps, others are still far from achieving gender parity.

Which countries are doing well in terms of gender equality, and which ones aren’t? Which are the five best and worst countries for women to work in 2024?

There are many different aspects to consider when determining the best countries for women. These aspects include professional, economic, and personal development opportunities.

Gender equality and pay equity

Gender gaps still persist in many countries around the world and prevent women from professional fulfillment and success. Gender equality is a crucial requirement that needs to be fulfilled when evaluating countries on their attractiveness for working women.

The most important aspect to consider is pay parity between men and women because gender pay gaps are, without a doubt, the most prominent inequality women face in the workplace. Some countries are already on a good path when it comes to achieving equal pay for equal work. But on a global scale, there still is a long way to go.

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Maternity and parental leave policies

Many working women want to have children at some point in their lives. Unfortunately, balancing career ambitions and maternal duties can be tricky. In many countries, women are still lacking the necessary support and leave entitlements to successfully combine professional life and motherhood. That’s why countries with generous parental leave regulations are high up on the list of best countries for women to work and live.

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Special leave for women

According to estimates from the United Nations, almost one in three women have been subjected to physical and/or sexual violence from either their sexual partner or a non-partner at least once in their life. In cases of sexual abuse or domestic violence, work should be the last thing women have to worry about.

There aren’t many countries that have implemented special types of leave that give women the right to take time off work in emergency situations, such as domestic abuse. The countries that have introduced special leave entitlements for women therefore clearly stand out. Another example is the right to take time off work for a miscarriage.

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Career opportunities and female leadership

Job prospects and career opportunities are also important aspects to consider when choosing the best countries for women to work. When evaluating career opportunities for women in a country, however, it’s not enough to just look at the number of open positions. Instead, it’s necessary to assess gender bias in hiring and recruiting and the actual accessibility of open roles for female applicants.

Female leadership is another critical aspect to consider here. The best countries for women to pursue a successful career are those that show a strong participation of women in management positions and boards.

Political empowerment and women’s rights

Inequalities in the workplace are often a mirror of women’s political participation in a country. In countries where women lack political empowerment, the necessary structures to allow for equal participation in the workplace are typically missing too.

Female empowerment does not only refer to women’s rights and their participation in government and parliament, but it also includes the absence of legal discrimination against women in all aspects of life.

Further aspects to consider

Gender equality, female leadership, and political empowerment are definitely among the most important criteria for choosing the best countries for women. But there are several other factors that also need to be considered. They include:

• Work-life balance: Parental leave policies are an important factor when it comes to balancing career and motherhood. But a short workweek and the right to request flexible working hours are equally important.

• Safety: Whether it’s organized crime or the rate of domestic violence, feeling safe in the country one lives in is crucial.

• Financial inclusion: Financial inclusion is yet another domain that is traditionally marked by gender gaps.

• Access to education: Education is fundamental for professional development and financial independence, which makes it another important factor to consider when ranking the best countries for women to live and work.

There are several institutions and indices that rate countries in terms of gender equality, female empowerment, women’s political and economic participation, and more. Here is an overview of important indices for determining the best countries for women:

• Global Gender Gap Report: The World Economic Forum’s (WEF) annual Global Gender Gap Report benchmarks the evolution of global gender parity. It is based on four key dimensions which are economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment.

• Women, Peace & Security Index: The Women, Peace & Security Index (short: WPS index) is published by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security and the PRIO Centre on Gender, Peace and Security with support from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It scores and ranks 177 countries with regard to women’s inclusion, justice, and security.

• Gender Inequality Index (GII): The Gender Inequality Index (GII) is based on data gathered by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It provides insights into gender disparities in health, empowerment and the labor market.

No country performs perfectly in terms of gender equality, but there are some countries that are already doing quite well when it comes to closing their gender gaps. Here are the five best-performing countries from the 2023 Global Gender Gap Index.

1.Iceland

The Global Gender Gap Index 2023 identified Iceland as the most gender-equal country in the world—and that for the 14th year in a row. The World Economic Forum estimates the country’s gender gap to be 91.2% closed, making Iceland the only country in the world that managed to score higher than 90%.

Whether it’s women’s participation in corporate management, national gender pay gap, access to education, or political empowerment, Iceland scores high across all index dimensions. With 6 months of maternity leave, the country is also quite generous towards women when it comes to family duties and work-life balance.

2.Norway

Compared to 2022, Norway has managed to move up one position in the Global Gender Gap Index and is now the second-best country for women to work and live, right behind Iceland. The Nordic country has achieved outstanding improvements with regard to political empowerment and has also reached parity in enrolment rates in primary and tertiary education.

Additionally, the country is highly supportive of women who are planning to start a family. There is a combined parental leave entitlement of 49 weeks which includes 12 weeks of paid prenatal maternity leave and 6 weeks of paid leave following the birth. Also, there is a possible 12-month (unpaid) childcare leave extension women can apply for. The country also scores well in the 2023/24 WPS Index, coming seventh in the global ranking.

3.Finland

Finland has a long tradition when it comes to women’s political empowerment. As the first country in the world, Finland allowed women to become members of parliament in 1906, and the strong political inclusion of women continues to this day.

Other than its achievements in female empowerment in politics, it’s mainly the long-standing gender parity on educational attainment that has moved Finland up to the third place in the 2023 Global Gender Gap Index. Affordable childcare structures and very generous parental leave regulations are further reasons why Finland is one of the best countries for women to work and live.

4.New Zealand

In a ranking of the world’s top countries for women, New Zealand definitely shouldn’t be missing. The country has the world’s third-highest level of parity on political empowerment and has also managed to bridge the gender gap in educational attainment across all levels of education.

New Zealand’s labor law gives female employees the right to take 26 weeks of paid maternity leave, plus 10 days of additional leave for pregnancy-related appointments. Furthermore, women are entitled to 3 days of bereavement leave in case of miscarriage, as well as to 10 days of leave if they are victims of domestic violence.

5.Sweden

The 2022 and 2023 editions of the Global Gender Gap Index list Sweden as the fifth best country for gender equality. One area where the country scores exceptionally well is political empowerment. With women making up nearly half of the country’s parliamentarians and 47.8% of ministries being headed by women, the country sets the bar high.

The country also scores high in female educational attainmentand has one of the best parental leave policies. Pregnant women can take maternity and parental leave for a duration of up to 390 days, and women with children under 8 are allowed to reduce their standard working hours by 25%.

Iceland, Norway, Finland, New Zealand, and Sweden are considered to be the five best countries for women. But there are other countries that also frequently score well in the rankings created by the WEF, the UNDP, and the like. These countries include:

• Denmark,

• Switzerland,

• Austria,

• Germany,

• Belgium,

• Netherlands,

• Luxembourg,

• Canada, and

• Australia.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are several countries that still have a very long way to go in terms of gender parity. They include:

• Afghanistan,

• Chad,

• Algeria,

• Iran,

• Pakistan,

• Yemen,

• Central African Republic,

• Democratic Republic of the Congo, and

• South Sudan.