The Best Countries to Raise Kids
Some citizens of countries are willing to pay high rates of taxes if health care, education and other needs are taken care of. In his piece “Why Danes Happily Pay High Rates of Taxes,” Meik Wiking, CEO of the Happiness Research Institute, says people in that country see paying taxes as a quality of life investment. Critically, Wiking says, their government is able to deliver on that promise.
The Best Countries to Raise Kids scored highest in a compilation of eight country attributes: cares about human rights, family friendly, gender equality, happy, income equality, safe, well-developed public education system and well-developed health care system. These are the top five countries.
5. Canada
In Canada, employees covered by the Canada Labour Code are entitled to up to 17 weeks of maternity leave. Those who care for a newborn or newly adopted child are entitled to parental leave of up to 37 weeks. Parents are eligible for employment insurance if they meet certain requirements.
4. Finland
In Finland, expecting mothers can begin their maternity leave seven weeks before their estimated due date, according to the World Economic Forum. The government provides 16 additional weeks of paid leave through a maternity grant and also offers eight weeks of paid paternity leave.
3. Norway
Like other Nordic countries, Norway has generous parental leave policies. Mothers can take 35 weeks at full pay or 45 weeks at 80 percent pay, according to the World Economic Forum. Fathers can take between zero and 10 weeks depending on the salary of their wives.
2. Sweden
Sweden drops from the top position it had held the two previous years. Each parent in the country is allowed 240 days of the 480 days of paid parental leave, according to sweden.se, Sweden’s official website. Each parent has two months designated exclusively for him or her, though days can be transferred to a partner.
1. Denmark
Denmark overtakes Sweden this year as the No. 1 country for raising children.
Europa, the official website of the European Union, calls the Danish parental leave system “among the most generous and flexible in the EU.” Both mothers and fathers are entitled to 23 weeks of parental leave, and mothers are entitled to four weeks of maternity leave before the expected due date.
Want to Know More?
Click below to see the full list of Best Countries to Raise Kids, or visit the U.S. News Best Countries homepage to find news and more rankings.
The 2018 Best Countries report and rankings are formed in partnership with global marketing communications company Y&R’s brand strategy firm, BAV Group, and The Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania. The rankings are based on a study that surveyed more than 21,000 global citizens from four regions to assess perceptions of 80 countries on 75 different metrics.
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These Are the Best 5 Countries to Raise Kids originally appeared on usnews.com
