Marie Claire Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Fashion Month
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career Money
    • Health Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes amp; Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • NYFW
    • Life In Plastic
    • Cari Champion
    • New Books
    • Postpartum Psychosis
    1. Travel

    9 Places You'll Want To Move To

    These countries rank 2 through 10 on the list of best places for women, based on their health, financial, and gender-equality practices, according to the World Economic Forum.

    By Marie Claire
    Published 7 May 2007 In Features

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    the best countries for women
    the best countries for women
    (Image credit: Martin Adolfsson)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    After Stockholm, these countries rank 2 through 10 on the list of best places for women, based on their health, financial, and gender-equality practices, according to the World Economic Forum:

    2) NORWAY: By law, all company boards must be at least 40 percent women. Today, about 50 percent of the country's government cabinet posts are filled by women.

    3) ICELAND: On October 24, 1975, women went on strike to protest the fact that they earned only 64 percent of men's wages. (They struck at 2:08 p.m., or exactly 64 percent of the 9-to-5 workday.) Today, women earn 72 percent as much (in the U.S., it's 75.5 percent).

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    4) DENMARK: Women have the highest employment rate in the world and the smallest gender wage gap.

    5) FINLAND: Women have the option of staying home with a new baby until the child turns 3--and their employer must keep their job open for them.

    6) NEW ZEALAND: On September 19, 1893, New Zealand became the first country in the world to grant women suffrage. Today, women hold three constitutional positions: prime minister, chief justice, and governor-general.

    7) CANADA: At the 2006 Winter Olympics, female athletes won more than half of Canada's medals. They benefit from gender policies requiring equal facilities, sponsorship, and opportunity in sports.

    8) U.K.:Thanks to the government's National Childcare Strategy (to expand goodquality, affordable childcare), this year, more than 2 million children will receive subsidized day-care services.

    9) GERMANY: Angela Merkel, the first woman ever elected chancellor, currently enjoys an 80-percent approval rating, the highest-ever rating for the top job.

    10) AUSTRALIA: Widely regarded as a world leader in domestic-violence awareness, the Australian government is currently studying ways to make abusive men leave the home, rather than forcing women to abandon their houses in order to escape the relationship.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
    Marie Claire

    Dedicated to women of power, purpose, and style, Marie Claire is committed to celebrating the richness and scope of women's lives. Reaching millions of women every month, Marie Claire is an internationally recognized destination for celebrity news, fashion trends, beauty recommendations, and renowned investigative packages.

    Latest in Travel
    collage of Lauren Tappan in Austria
    Fashion What I Packed for a Weekend in Austria as a Fashion Editor
     A photo of Alaana Seno,
    Travel These Women Will Change the Way You See Hawaiʻi
     
     
    Prince William and Princess Kate standing with flight attendants on a British Airways flight
    Royals Prince William and Princess Kate's Surprising Travel Rule Revealed
    Two teenagers (Ella Rubin as Annie Jacobson and Daniel Quinn-Toye as Rory) sit in a field of grass and wildflowers, in the Prime Video series #039;Sterling Point.#039;
    TV shows We Can't Visit 'Sterling Point,' But Muskoka Lakes Is the Next Best Thing
     
     
    Latest in Features
    Emmy Rossum wearing a black dress posing with her hands on her hips at the 2026 Emmys
    Beauty Emmy Rossum's Voluminous Curls at the 2026 Emmys Will Be on My Mood Board Until Further Notice
    Nicole Kidman attends the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards at Peacock Theater on September 14, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
    Hair Nicole Kidman’s Emmys Hair Has Me Ready to Retire the Slicked-Back Bun
     
     
    Lukita Maxwell at the 78th Emmy Awards held at Peacock Theater on September 14, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
    Hair Lukita Maxwell Just Made the Baby Bob Fall’s Most Tempting Haircut
    Zendaya at the 2026 Emmys looking over her shoulder and posing.
    Hair Zendaya's Pixie Cut Is the Star of the 2026 Emmys Red Carpet
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.