A recent survey of 165 countries ranked Canada as the third best place in the world to be a woman. This survey attempted to analyze the expansive rights and the best quality of life for women by analyzing factors such as overall ratings of justice, health, education, economics and politics. Canada rated an overall 96.6 (out of 100) just behind Iceland in first and Sweden in second place. The worst 3 ranked places for women were Yemen (12.1 out of 100), Afghanistan (2.0 out of 100) and Chad (0 out of 100).
Seeing this study makes me feel really privileged to be a woman in Canada. Having access education and health care as well as the right to participate in the politics or economics, are small rights that I know I have taken for granted. To think that there is such a range of quality of life for women around the world makes me feel blessed but at the same time spoiled.
How often is it that we stop and appreciate the little things. For example, I recently moved in with a couple close friends. If I lived in a lot of other countries I could possible not have the right to leave my house let alone to live independently. I moved out of my parent’s home so I wouldn’t have to respond to anyone but myself, but really that nothing in comparison to some of the things that other women in the world are fighting for.
Much of the fight within feminism revolves around the fight for equal rights. This is a well-known fact. But how is it that we can create equality for ALL women of the world if there is such a disparity of quality of life. For starters how can we define equal quality of life since we are all holding such polarized definitions. And how can we make social institutions that allow women in countries that were poorly rated have a better quality of life without imposing our western ideals upon their way of life. Is any of this even possible?
http://www.thedailybeast.com/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/09/20/best-and-worst-countries-for-women-the-full-list.html
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