Which are the worst and best countries in the world to be a woman today?

Could you add some more to this list?

WORST countries

Afghanistan: The average Afghan girl will live to only 45 鈥?one year less than an Afghan male. After three decades of war and religion-based repression, an overwhelming number of women are illiterate. More than half of all brides are under 16, and one woman dies in childbirth every half hour. Domestic violence is so common that 87 per cent of women admit to experiencing it. But more than one million widows are on the streets, often forced into prostitution. Afghanistan is the only country in which the female suicide rate is higher than that of males.

Democratic Republic of Congo: In the eastern DRC, a war that claimed more than 3 million lives has ignited again, with women on the front line. Rapes are so brutal and systematic that UN investigators have called them unprecedented. Many victims die; others are infected with HIV and left to look after children alone. Foraging for food and water exposes women to yet more violence

鈥?Iraq: The U.S.-led invasion to 鈥渓iberate鈥?Iraq from Saddam Hussein has imprisoned women in an inferno of sectarian violence that targets women and girls. The literacy rate, once the highest in the Arab world, is now among the lowest as families fear risking kidnapping and rape by sending girls to school. Women who once went out to work stay home. Meanwhile, more than 1 million women have been displaced from their homes, and millions more are unable to earn enough to eat.

鈥?Nepal: Early marriage and childbirth exhaust the country鈥檚 malnourished women, and one in 24 will die in pregnancy or childbirth. Daughters who aren鈥檛 married off may be sold to traffickers before they reach their teens. Widows face extreme abuse and discrimination if they鈥檙e labelled bokshi, meaning witches. A low-level civil war between government and Maoist rebels has forced rural women into guerrilla groups.

EDIT: the_omz ~ I have heard similar things about Japan from people who have lived there. It's a good reminder that while quality of life indicators are valuable, they often don't tell the whole story. For example, Swiss women enjoyed a very high standard of living throughout the 20th century, but did not get the right to vote unto 1971.

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By the usual inidicators to measure 'best', the countries you have listed are obviously the 'worst' and 'best', but let's also not forget that for the women who live in those countries, these places are their homes and they no doubt love their while perhaps not liking the very unequal and brutal situations for women in those countries.

For those who decry the fact that a poster chooses to present certain information, you are welcome to post your OWN questions nominating ythe information you think is important. Unfortunately this rarely happens because so many are great armchair critics who prefer to do nothing themselves.

Flying Horse ~ your information is, as usual interesting and informative. Welcome back :-)

Cheers :-)

I would say Denmark (or really any Scandinavian country) is the best, and Saudi Arabia is the worst. At least with Afghanistan it is likely to gradually improve, due to NATO, unlike Saudi Arabia.

Tanzania maybe isn't the worst but it does have a lack of legal rights for women. This puts them in the situation where they won't admit they are HIV positive to their partners because it would mean losing their homes, property and being cast out of their community.

Thanks for posting this information, I hope people take a minute to read it.

South Africa is rather monstrous for women. A lot of rapes and poor attitudes towards women. When I was there I saw four occasions where a man attacked a woman on public transport and once in a shop. I saw a man kick a woman one night, she must have been barely twenty.
There is a distinctly 'old man' attitude in that country.

You've noted the good countries.

Sorry i can't answer your question, but out of interest, what about spain?

I hate these sort of studies. LIke the men in Afghanistan and DRC are doing great. Generally if the women are doing poorly most of the men are also.

Another crap feminist study.

I wouldn't mind being in Australia right now. As a woman, of course.

Australia is one of the best countries to be living in as a woman. Sure, we still have some sexism here(for both women and men), but we have equal opportunites and it is against the law to be discriminated against on the basis of gender, marital and parental status. It even is becoming fairer for men with the family courts being fairer.
I don't have any fears here of being attacked or harrassed and if I put in the hard yards, I can do just as well as any man.
Btw Flyinghorse, I'm very happy to see that you've come back :D

Welcome back FH!

Also, Russia is the worse country for domestic violence. Nearly 20,000 women die a year in DV.

Mexico - hundreds of women's bodies have shown up tortured and killed and thrown in the desert.

[how sad some men can't show compassion on this forum and only wonder why when we discuss women we dont discuss men (is that a rule?) and how we are tramps--a misogynist claim. very sad, indeed]

I noticed that the USA was conspicuous by its absence from the UNDP list of 'best' places.

Thanks for the post, very illuminating and interesting.
Some of the respondents have added interesting information too.

Best counties for women are most western countries.

Worst countries are mostly third world countries who鈥檚 men still believe women are their property and not their partners

I want to disagree with Japan as one of the Best.

Japan's society is real degrading to women and see them as 2nd class and way below men.

But ya, the whole life expectancy, healthy and all that then Japan makes sense. But as far as society treatment...then I disagree.

I'M NOT BEING RACIST!
My g/f is from Japan; she told me this.

no north korea for sure
dont go to mid east, cuz most of the countries there suck ballz n censor too much including stuff w/ women

best places for women is of course countries in europe
france, spain, upper european countries
U.S. gives equality besides racism i guess

Any country where you're beat for showing your face or forced into prostitution or rape would obviously be horrible.

America is great for women, appreciate your freedom to be tramps ladies