Best and Worst Places to Be a Mother in 2014

Fins make top of the list of best places in the world to be a mother!

Marquette, MI – A new 2014 report has just been released on the state of mothers worldwide with some interesting findings.  All you Fins out there will feel a sense of pride to know that Finland made the #1 spot! What other countries made the top of the list, the bottom, and where does the U.S. fit in? 

In honor of Mother’s Day we wanted to share this information to help raise awareness by showing where mothers and children are faring best in the world, and where they are facing the greatest struggles.  To get some perspective by asking what are some of these countries doing right and what is causing others to suffer so greatly?  This information is based on the document “State of the World’s Mothers 2014 – Saving Mothers and Children in Humanitarian Crisis” published by the Save the Children Organization.

These rankings were determined by using the lates data on maternal health, child mortality, education, income levels of women, and female political participation in 178 countries. Not surprisingly current trends from this century show that armed conflict, political instability, and natural disasters are the largest factors in the difficult state of mothers in the poorest countries.  Yet, the data also show that “progress is possible, even in countries suffering from devastating humanitarian crises,” as stated by the report.

Top Ten Countries:

1. Finland
2. Norway
3. Sweden
4. Iceland
5. Netherlands
6. Denmark
7. Spain
8. Germany
9. Australia*
   9. Belgium* (tied)

Bottom Ten Countries:

169.  Cote d’Ivoire
170. Chad
171. Nigeria
172. Sierra Leone
173. Central African Republic
174. Guinea-Bissau
175. Mali*
175. Niger* (tied)
177. Democratic Republic of Congo
178. Somalia

Interesting to note that the first top 5 countries are all Scandinavian countries… what are they doing right in these places?  Could it be their strong socialistic health care and educational systems that truly take care of their people with the attitude that we are only as strong as our weakest links?

Were you surprised that the U.S. is not anywhere to be found in the top ten? Unfortunately, I ‘m not surprised.  Our country is run in the best interest of corportations instead of the common people (aka the majority) that our government is supposted to serve on behalf of… a fact apparent in our failing education system, insufficient health care system, and economic depression.

So where did we place? 31, not impressive for a world leader…

Also, take note that the 10 worst countries to be a mother on the list are all on the African continent, a place marked for centuries now with political instability, armed conflicts, and severe droughts.  The concentration of countries from the same area of the world on the bottom of this list prove the glaringly obvious connection between places and peoples plagued by turmoil without adequate relief for a vast expanse of time.

This relevant report by Save the Children reminds us that when we invest as a nation in supporting mothers who nuture the future of our peoples we find better outcomes overall.  In contrast places that have no significant support in place to care for their mothers and children will suffer the most and continue to perpetuate the cycle of unrest.

This mother’s day don’t worry about what to buy your mother, show your appreciation and love with heartfelt connection and communication.   Support organizations dedicated to improving the quality of life for mothers around the world.

by marquette_magazine