Across the world, many developed countries have in recent years, revised the way in which they treat their workers. From general rights of working people to those of parents and minorities, we’ve looked who’s progressed the most.
The Rights Of Women
The gender pay gap is an important and often discussed metric on which progressive nations can be compared. We’ve looked at both wages and the level of inclusion women have in both the boardroom and Parliament.
| Rank | Country | Gender Pay Gap % | index | Parliament & Boardroom Diversity Score /10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norway | 7.1 | 9.00 | 9 |
| 2 | Denmark | 5.7 | 9.38 | 7.9 |
| 3 | Belgium | 4.7 | 9.65 | 5.9 |
| 4 | Luxembourg | 3.4 | 10.00 | 4.9 |
| 5 | New Zealand | 7.8 | 8.81 | 7 |
| 6 | Slovenia | 5 | 9.57 | 5.3 |
| 7 | Greece | 4.5 | 9.70 | 4.3 |
| 8 | Sweden | 13.4 | 7.30 | 8.8 |
| 9 | Italy | 5.6 | 9.41 | 4.2 |
| 10 | France | 9.9 | 8.24 | 5.6 |
| 11 | Poland | 9.4 | 8.38 | 5.3 |
| 12 | Hungary | 9.4 | 8.38 | 4.9 |
| 13 | Iceland | 9.9 | 8.24 | 5.1 |
| 14 | Spain | 11.5 | 7.81 | 5.9 |
| 15 | Netherlands | 14.1 | 7.11 | 7.2 |
| 16 | Ireland | 10.6 | 8.05 | 5.1 |
| 17 | Lithuania | 12.5 | 7.54 | 5.9 |
| 18 | Finland | 16.5 | 6.46 | 7.9 |
| 19 | Slovak Republic | 13.9 | 7.16 | 6.1 |
| 20 | Australia | 14.3 | 7.05 | 6.3 |
| 21 | Switzerland | 14.8 | 6.92 | 6.3 |
| 22 | Turkey | 6.9 | 9.05 | 1.9 |
| 23 | Portugal | 14.3 | 7.05 | 5.8 |
| 24 | Germany | 15.5 | 6.73 | 6.3 |
| 25 | Austria | 15.7 | 6.68 | 6 |
| 26 | Canada | 18.2 | 6.00 | 6.6 |
| 27 | United Kingdom | 16.8 | 6.38 | 5.7 |
| 28 | United States | 18.1 | 6.03 | 6 |
| 29 | Czech Republic | 16 | 6.59 | 4.7 |
| 30 | Mexico | 16.5 | 6.46 | 4.7 |
| 31 | Israel | 19.3 | 5.70 | 5.8 |
| 32 | Latvia | 21.1 | 5.22 | 6.7 |
| 33 | Chile | 21.1 | 5.22 | 3.5 |
| 34 | Japan | 24.6 | 4.27 | 4.1 |
| 35 | Estonia | 28.3 | 3.27 | 5.9 |
| 36 | Korea | 36.7 | 1.00 | 4.4 |
Maternity & Parental Leave
Countries are growing more and more progressive when it comes to their approach to both maternal and parental leave. We’ve looked at legislation in OECDs as well as the proposition of wages that are paid during and after pregnancy.
| Country or area | Length of Maternity Leave (in weeks) | Percentage of wages paid in covered period (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 69 | 80 |
| Norway | 52 | 80-100 |
| United Kingdom | 52 | 90 |
| Czech Republic | 28 | 60 |
| Slovakia | 28 | 55 |
| Iceland | 26 | 80 |
| Ireland | 26 | 80 |
| Hungary | 24 | 70 |
| Italy | 22 | 80 |
| Portugal | 21 | 80-100 |
| Finland | 21 | 70 |
| Estonia | 20 | 100 |
| Australia | 18 | … |
| Chile | 18 | 100 |
| Denmark | 18 | … |
| Lithuania | 18 | 100 |
| Canada | 17 | 55 |
| Greece | 17 | 50+ |
| Austria | 16 | 100 |
| France | 16 | 100 |
| Latvia | 16 | 100 |
| Luxembourg | 16 | 100 |
| Netherlands | 16 | 100 |
| Poland | 16 | 100 |
| Spain | 16 | 100 |
| Turkey | 16 | 67 |
| Belgium | 15 | 75-79.5 |
| Slovenia | 15 | 100 |
| Germany | 14 | 100 |
| Israel | 14 | 100 |
| Japan | 14 | 30 |
| New Zealand | 14 | 100 |
| Switzerland | 14 | 80 |
| Republic of Korea | 13 | 100 |
| Mexico | 12 | 100 |
| United States of America | 12 | … |
Notes
- … means Not available
- USA: There is no national program. Cash benefits may be provided at the state level.
- Australia: A lump sum payment is paid for each child.
Wellbeing & Satisfaction
Life satisfaction among persons aged 15 and over, 2015 or last year available
| Country | Average life satisfaction score |
|---|---|
| Norway | 7.6 |
| Denmark | 7.5 |
| Iceland | 7.5 |
| Switzerland | 7.5 |
| Finland | 7.4 |
| Israel | 7.4 |
| Australia | 7.3 |
| Canada | 7.3 |
| Netherlands | 7.3 |
| New Zealand | 7.3 |
| Sweden | 7.3 |
| United States | 7.2 |
| Austria | 7.1 |
| Germany | 7 |
| Belgium | 6.9 |
| Chile | 6.8 |
| Ireland | 6.8 |
| Luxembourg | 6.7 |
| Czech Republic | 6.5 |
| United Kingdom | 6.5 |
| France | 6.4 |
| Spain | 6.4 |
| Mexico | 6.2 |
| Lithuania | 6.1 |
| Slovak Republic | 6.1 |
| Poland | 6 |
| Japan | 5.9 |
| Italy | 5.8 |
| Korea | 5.8 |
| Latvia | 5.7 |
| Slovenia | 5.7 |
| Estonia | 5.6 |
| Greece | 5.6 |
| Turkey | 5.6 |
| Hungary | 5.3 |
| Portugal | 5.1 |
Annual Working Hours
| Country | Work hours per persons engaged (hours per person engaged) |
|---|---|
| Germany | 1371 |
| Netherlands | 1420 |
| Norway | 1427 |
| Denmark | 1438 |
| France | 1473 |
| Luxembourg | 1502 |
| Slovenia | 1561 |
| Switzerland | 1568 |
| Belgium | 1575 |
| Sweden | 1609 |
| Austria | 1629 |
| Finland | 1643 |
| United Kingdom | 1675 |
| Canada | 1688 |
| Spain | 1689 |
| Japan | 1729 |
| Italy | 1734 |
| New Zealand | 1762 |
| Slovakia | 1763 |
| United States | 1765 |
| Czech Republic | 1771 |
| Australia | 1803 |
| Ireland | 1821 |
| Turkey | 1832 |
| Lithuania | 1834 |
| Portugal | 1857 |
| Estonia | 1859 |
| Hungary | 1860 |
| Iceland | 1864 |
| Israel | 1880 |
| Latvia | 1938 |
| Chile | 1990 |
| Poland | 2039 |
| Greece | 2042 |
| South Korea | 2124 |
| Mexico | 2137 |
Violation of Rights Rankings
Key:
- 1 = Sporadic violation of rights
- 2 = Repeated violation of rights
- 3 = Regular violation of rights
- 4 = Systematic violation of rights
- 5 = No guarantee of rights
- 5+ = No guarantee of rights due to breakdown of the law
| Country | Ranking |
|---|---|
| Austria | 1 |
| Belgium | 1 |
| Denmark | 1 |
| Finland | 1 |
| Germany | 1 |
| Iceland | 1 |
| Ireland | 1 |
| Italy | 1 |
| Netherlands | 1 |
| Norway | 1 |
| Slovak Republic | 1 |
| Sweden | 1 |
| Canada | 2 |
| Czech Republic | 2 |
| Estonia | 2 |
| France | 2 |
| Israel (a) | 2 |
| Japan | 2 |
| Latvia | 2 |
| Lithuania | 2 |
| New Zealand | 2 |
| Portugal | 2 |
| Switzerland | 2 |
| Australia | 3 |
| Chile | 3 |
| Hungary | 3 |
| Poland | 3 |
| Spain | 3 |
| United Kingdom | 3 |
| United States | 4 |
| Greece | 5 |
| Korea | 5 |
| Mexico | 5 |
| Turkey | 5 |
Sources:
- http://data.un.org/DocumentData.aspx?id=344
- http://www.oecd.org/els/family/database.htm
- https://ourworldindata.org/working-hours#annual-working-hours-since-1950
- https://www.ituc-csi.org/IMG/pdf/ituc-global-rights-index-2018-en-final-2.pdf
- http://www.oecd.org/els/family/database.htm
- https://qz.com/302264/the-best-places-in-the-world-to-work-in-7-charts/
- https://www.thebalancecareers.com/best-countries-to-work-in-4134402
- http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/topics/work-life-balance/
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