3 countries leading the way in women’s rights

To celebrate International Women’s Day, here’s a look at three nations working hard to advance women’s rights.

1. Iceland
For over ten years, Iceland has topped the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index. Iceland established an equal pay law mandating equal pay and terms of employment for both men and women. Iceland also passed a law in 2010 requiring company boards to have a minimum of 40 percent women. In 2009, Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir became Iceland’s first female prime minister.

2. New Zealand
New Zealand was the first self-governed nation to allow women the right to vote in 1893. Two women have held the position of prime minister so far in New Zealand, and around one-third of the parliament is female. In 2018, New Zealand’s parliament unanimously passed the Equal Pay Amendment Bill, guaranteeing equal pay for workers, regardless of gender.

3. Denmark
Women in Denmark generally work outside the home and pursue careers while raising a family because of the country’s generous parental leave and tax-subsidized daycare. Additionally, over 40 percent of the representatives in Denmark’s parliament are female, and so are many of the country’s ministers. Denmark’s first female prime minister, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, took office in 2011.

Many countries have made considerable efforts to advance gender equality in recent years. Still, there’s a long way to go to achieve full parity between men and women.