And the Best Country to be a Mother is…

Yesterday was Mother’s Day and hopefully everyone took a moment to honor the mother’s, and mother figures, in their lives. While being a mother in any country brings with it endless struggles and joys, some bring greater struggle than others. Therefore in which country is it best to raise your children? According to the State of the World’s Mothers 2010 report: Women on the Front Lines of Health Care by Save the Children, its Norway.

The country rankings are compiled in the reports Mothers’ Index, which assigns rankings based on such factors which impact the health and well-being of women and children. Such factors include access to health care, education and economic opportunities with in the country.

Those countries joining Norway, replacing last years top position holder Sweden. Sweden however remains among the top ten with Australia, Iceland, Denmark, New Zealand, Finland, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany.

The United States came in a disappointing 28th, falling below Estonia, Latvia, and Croatia. The U.S. ranks lower than many developing nations due to the high maternal mortality rates(1 in 4,800) and infant mortality (8 per 1,000). As well the U.S. is holds a lower pre-school enrollment at 61 percent and in comparison to it’s developed counterparts has considerably weak standing maternity-leave policies.

Afghanistan, which has fallen one ranking this year over last year report, now sits at the bottom, behind Niger, who was at the bottom last year.  Chad, Guinea-Bissau, Yemen, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Sudan, Eritrea, and Equatorial Guinea all find themselves at the bottom of the list.

According to the report the comparison between the top of the list and the bottom are nothing less than dramatic;

The gap in availability of maternal and child health services is especially dramatic when comparing Norway and Afghanistan. Skilled health personnel are present at virtually every birth in Norway, while only 14 percent of births are attended in Afghanistan. A typical Norwegian woman has more than 18 years of formal education and will live to be 83 years old. Eighty-two percent are using some modern method of contraception, and only 1 in 132 will lose a child before his or her fifth birthday. At the opposite end of the spectrum, in Afghanistan, a typical woman has just over 4 years of education and will live to be only 44. Sixteen percent of women are using modern contraception, and more than 1 child in 4 dies before his or her fifth birthday. At this rate, every mother in Afghanistan is likely to suffer the loss of a child.

The report’s key findings have been analyzed and priority recommendations have been made for countries, especially Afghanistan and those countries remaining at the bottom of the rankings. Recommendations include: Train and deploy more health workers – especially midwives and other female health workers; Provide better incentives to attract and retain qualified female health workers; Invest in girls’ education; and Strengthen basic health systems and design health care programs to better target the poorest and most marginalized mothers and children.