That National Pride...

I must admit that having read here how Norway once again has been voted the best place in the world to be a mother, it did trigger my national pride. And made me feel very privileged. I mean; when I discovered I was expecting my little princess, it was an easy decision to make, going home to Norway from Ireland to work for the remainder of my pregnancy- as well as giving birth to her in a Norwegian hospital. Not that Ireland or Irish hospitals are that bad, but it still remains in the dark-ages compared to the Scandinavian countries in terms of maternity leave and maternity benefits. Norwegian mothers- who have worked at least the last six months before giving birth- are entitled to a full year off from work, fully paid. This ensures that we can take up breast-feeding and actually keep it up for a while, ensuring your child gets all the antibodies and nutrients it needs. It ensures that you can return to work when your maternity leave is up and continue to be a active and important part of the work-force. State-funded kindergardens ensures that pretty much all Norwegian children can go to kindergarden and enjoy playing and learning with other children, when mummy goes back to work.

This survey, of 160 countries, was the eleventh annual index put out by Save the Children to measure women's and children's health and well-being around the world. Norway tops the index, followed closely by Australia, Iceland and Sweden. The United States was ranked at number 28. Ireland was in the top ten, which is admirable too. But still has a way to go compared to the very mother-and family friendly Scandinavian countries. In the US, which claims to be the most developed country in the world, mothers can expect a maternity leave of approximately six weeks. Six measly weeks. The thought of me leaving Nahla over to some stranger to look after and return to work when she was a mere newborn is pretty far fledged, I must admit. I think learning about how other countries do it, how things could be done, may be an important factor in how mummy's vote in upcoming elections, may inspire women to demand better conditions in which to start families, and may prove that you really can do it all; have a family, have a career- and be great at both!



(Photo Credit from here)