Philippines 17th best place for women — Newsweek

THE Philippines is one of the best places for women, according to Newsweek magazine.

A survey done by the American publication showed the Philippines as among the 20 best countries for women, ranking 17th out of 165 countries.

The country was the only Asian country among the frontrunners.

“This is an affirmation of the respect our culture has always accorded to Filipino women—one that manifests itself as well in our government’s efforts to promote equal gender opportunities in spheres of public policies and programs. Rest assured, our administration remains committed in advancing the quality of life of all Filipinos from all walks of life,” Malacañang spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in a statement.

The Philippines garnered an overall score of 86.3 and also got an excellent score in education—92.2.

Newsweek released the results earlier this week to measure the state of women’s progress in 165 countries.

To rank the countries, five areas affecting women’s lives were considered—justice and treatment of women under the law; access to health; access to education; economics and workforce participation; and political power.

The Philippines scored the following in the five categories: justice, 88.4; health, 57.0; education, 92.2; economics, 89.1; and politics, 85.6.

Newsweek used data culled from the United Nations and the World Economic Forum, among others, and experts and academics were consulted in measuring 28 factors for the rankings.

The best country for women is Iceland, garnering a perfect 100 overall score.

Sweden, Canada, Denmark and Finland were second, third, fourth, and fifth, respectively.

The United States ranked eighth, with an overall score of 89.9.

Best Countries for Women
(Top 20)
1. Iceland
2. Sweden
3. Canada
4. Denmark
5. Finland
6. Switzerland
7. Norway
8. United States of America
9. Australia
10. The Netherlands
11. New Zealand
12. France
13. Luxembourg
14. Portugal
15. Republic of Macedonia
16. Republic of Moldova
17. Philippines
18. Belgium
19. United Kingdom
20. Romania
The lowest ranked countries on the list are Yemen (163rd), Afghanistan (164th) and Chad (165th), where only 20 percent of adult women can read. –JAIME PILAPIL, Manila Times