The Best Countries for Women to Work In

Every year on March 8th, International Women’s Day, The Economist publishes its famous “Glass Ceiling Index,” which assesses women’s working conditions and their role in the economy. This index highlights countries where the environment is most favorable for women’s career growth and balancing personal life. In 2025, The Economist once again released new data revealing several interesting trends.

For the first time in two years, Sweden has taken the top spot on the index, replacing Iceland. Scandinavian countries have always stood out for their supportive policies toward women, reflected in both career opportunities and the ability to balance family responsibilities. This achievement for Sweden is attributed to precisely those factors. At the bottom of the index, Turkey ranks lowest, with South Korea slightly ahead. Notably, New Zealand made an impressive leap, improving by eight positions to claim fifth place.

In terms of education, the situation for women in OECD countries is quite positive: 45% of women have higher education, compared to only 36.9% of men. As for MBA programs, the number of women enrolling is slowly but steadily increasing. Finland, Estonia, and New Zealand are showing particularly noticeable progress in this regard.

Despite these positive trends, women’s participation in the labor market remains lower than men’s. In OECD countries, only 66.6% of working-age women are employed, while for men, the figure is 81%. Employment rates for women are particularly high in Iceland and Sweden (82%), while Italy lags behind with only 58%. Lower employment is directly reflected in women’s salaries, with women earning an average of 11.4% less than men. This gap is particularly high in Japan and Australia.

Representation of women in political and business spheres has increased significantly in recent years. For example, the share of women on corporate boards has risen from 21% in 2016 to 33% today. In the UK, France, and New Zealand, women are nearly on equal footing with men. In terms of managerial positions, Sweden, Latvia, and the United States are leaders, where almost every second manager is a woman. For the first time in the index’s history, women’s participation in politics has exceeded 34%. The UK was particularly successful in this regard after the 2024 elections, where women’s representation in parliament reached 41%.

Family conditions remain a challenge. In OECD countries, motherhood is often still a barrier to career growth, as women struggle to balance work and household responsibilities. The situation is most challenging in the United States, where there is no national mandatory paid maternity leave, and childcare costs exceed 30% of average income. Even higher costs are recorded only in Switzerland (49%) and New Zealand (37%). In contrast, Hungary and Slovakia offer the most generous conditions for maternity leave: Hungarian mothers receive 79 weeks of fully paid leave, while Slovakian mothers receive 69 weeks. Interestingly, Japan and South Korea offer the longest paternity leave for fathers, but very few men actually use this benefit.

The “Glass Ceiling Index” is not a perfect indicator, but it effectively reflects countries’ progress toward gender equality. Despite the existing progress, breaking the “glass ceiling” remains a significant challenge in most countries. However, the positive changes observed each year give hope that the future working environment for women will become even more favorable.