Celebrating women's achievements

.. and countries: Sweden is the best country in the world for women, according to a new study from U.S. News & World Report. 

  • The Swedish women's national team celebrates after beating Australia July 10 in the quarterfinals of the FIFA Women's World Cup. Bildbyrån photo
  • Gender equality is reflected in all aspects of Swedish culture, the Swedish government calling it one of the "cornerstones" of the country —from its education system, parental leave policies and the workplace, in which the Discrimination Act requires all employers to "actively pursue specific goals to promote equality between men and women." Just in time for the 2017 International Women’s Day, the U.S. News & World Report ranks Sweden as the best country for women. All according to the more than 9,000 women who filled out surveys.
    The aim of the "2017 Best Countries" report is to discover how nations are perceived on a global scale. It's the second year the in-depth study, written in collaboration with Y&R’s BAV Consulting and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, has been published. This year it identifies Sweden at the top for women, followed by Denmark, then Norway, the Netherlands and Canada. www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/best-women

  • The earliest organized Women's Day observance was held on February 28, 1909, in New York in remembrance of the 1908 strike of the International Ladies Garment Worker's Union. In 1977 the United Nations adopted a resolution which recommends a public celebration of International Women's Day on March 8 every year.