This week, Save the Children released its annual report on the State of the World's Mothers, which ranks the status of mothers in countries worldwide using a wide set of criteria including female life expectancy, lifetime risk of maternal death, women's economic equality, child mortality, and working conditions for mothers.
Topping this year's index is Norway, the developed country with one of the highest ratio of female-to-male earned income, the world's highest contraception rate, and one of the most generous maternity leave policies anywhere. Northern Europe dominated the top 10 with the United States coming in at a not particularly impressive 31st, thanks in part to its 1 in 2,100 maternal death ratio -- the highest of any industrialized nation-- and its maternity leave policies, the shortest and least well-supported financially of any wealthy nation.
This Mother's Day, it's worth remembering the struggling moms in the following 10 countries, who make up the bottom of the list.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
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CHRISTUCKER
2:49 PM ET
May 7, 2011
Eye opening!
It's tough to read about these women and what they endure on a day to day basis. Losing a child in the US is crippling, in Afghanistan it's just part of life. May the future see some improvements to their system of care!
href="http://www.hermitcrabhub.com/">Feeding a Hermit Crab
CARDSHARP
11:24 AM ET
May 9, 2011
Where is India on this list?
More children there die from malnutrition and disease than anywhere else in the world and the literacy and rights for woman are still amongst the lowest in the world. (add to that practices like casteism, and bride burning...)
NEPS
1:40 PM ET
May 9, 2011
Mother's Sacrifice
When I think of how my late mother sacrificed for us, I really find myself in tears. Yet I have to admit that even today, mothers are suffering trying to put the children first in many parts of the world.
I only wish more could be done for mothers in these countries. Mothers who love their children no less than those in developed countries, yet sometimes they have to do without even the basics like food. omni
HAVADURUMU
5:30 PM ET
May 9, 2011
harika
It's tough to read about these women and what they endure on a day to day basis. Losing a child in the US is crippling, in Afghanistan it's just part of life. May the future see some improvements to their system of care!
Hava durumu
ANAYASHARMA
2:22 AM ET
May 10, 2011
Anna
I love my mother so but I am really sad to know all about the pity condition of struggling this mother also.We should try something for it.
P90x
ASHTONKAYE
4:17 PM ET
May 10, 2011
Wish I would have seen this earlier
This would be a great article to share with my mother and aunts this past sunday. I really appreciate what my mother and other mothers in the world do for their children. It's tough enough to be a mother in an amazing country like the US, I can't even imagine what it must be like for those struggling to live day to day in the third world.
EPOLICH
4:19 AM ET
May 12, 2011
South Sudan statistic
Just a note that the article has South Sudan's MMR at 509/100,000. While the south's rate IS the worst in the world, the 509/100,000 is for Sudan as a whole - estimated levels for the south are actually 2054/100,000 - far worse.
IH
1:51 PM ET
May 14, 2011
women
Those are also the Worst Places to Be a woman.
those two go hand in hand.
JUDITA
5:33 AM ET
May 21, 2011
Mother's love
There's nothing like a mother's love. I feel for the mother's who want so much to provide for their children yet can't do it. Essential to help them break free from poverty.
DANNCLI379
3:17 AM ET
June 4, 2011
Save the Children
It's tough to read about these women and what they endure on a day to day basis. Losing a child in the US is crippling, in Afghanistan it's just part of life. May the future see some improvements to their system of care! wedding I only wish more could be done for mothers in these countries. Mothers who love their children no less than those in developed countries, yet sometimes they have to do without even the basics like food.