15 months of maternity leave? Why every woman wants to work in Belgium

Belgium has been ranked as the best country to work in, ahead of the United States of America.

In a report released by a UK-based research agency, Click Intelligence, Belgium has the smallest gender wage gap of 1.19 per cent.

According to the report, Belgian women hold 36 per cent of management positions while benefiting from generous 15-month maternal leave policies.

The report dubbed ‘The best European country for women to work in’ shows that Belgium performs well in matters of safety, where 81.4 per cent said they were comfortable working at night. Only 18.6 per cent raised concerns over insecurity.

Slovenia takes second place with 45 per cent of women holding managerial positions, among the highest rates globally.

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The country also maintains a solid 27 per cent female business ownership rate and matches Belgium’s 15-month maternal leave provisions.

The gender employment gap here stays relatively low at 8.4 per cent.

Portugal comes in as the third-best country for women to live and work, with 30.2 per cent owning local companies and another 40 per cent managing executive roles.

Portugal posts a smaller 8.2 per cent employment gap between men and women, and shows a 9.35 per cent difference in wages, well below the average for developed nations.

Neighbouring Spain is in fourth place with only 17.3 per cent of women saying they feel unsafe, which is one of the lowest rates in the ranking.

According to the report, Spanish mothers are entitled to the longest parental leave at 16 months, and the country’s gender wage gap is also among the smallest at 6.72 per cent.

France and Sweden come in at a distant fifth and sixth place.

While in France, women benefit from a 16-month maternal leave, in Sweden, the duration lasts up to 14 months.

In France, 38 per cent of women occupy senior roles, with almost every fourth business being owned by women.

The country also records a reduced employment gap between genders at 7.8 per cent and has below-average wage differences.

Sweden, on the other han,d has a higher representation of women in leadership positions, holding 43 per cent of managerial roles.

Sweden posts the smallest employment gap at just 6.3 per cent and reports a low salary difference.

Australia takes seventh place as the best non-European country for women. Here, almost half of the executive positions are held by women, while nearly a third of local companies are also women-owned.

Australia shows a below-average gender employment gap, too.

In the eighth place is the United States, where women are behind more than 35 per cent of businesses, the highest share in the world.

According to the report, American women also take up nearly half of managerial roles, showing strong representation at all leading levels.

Finland is in ninth position with its women entrepreneurs owning 33 per cent of local firms, while employed women face a small 7.5 per cent gap in workplaces.

On top of that, parents in Finland can benefit from up to 15 months of maternity leave.

Estonia completes the top ten countries for women to work and live.

Here, nearly half of all management positions are held by women, second only to Australia, and about one in three businesses is female-owned.

Safety is another strong point in Estonia, as only 8.5 per cent of women said they feel unsafe, the lowest share anywhere in the ranking.

Speaking at the release of the report, James Owen, the Co-founder and Director at Click Intelligence said one trend the agency has noted is how quickly women are moving into new industries.

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"For example, tech and green businesses have become popular choices for female founders because they’re less tied to legacy structures and more open to new ideas,” said Owen.

He also said that online tools make it easier for women to start up with less money and reach customers directly. Another big change is how women are building strong networks and supporting each other, which helps them grow faster and break into areas that were once hard to enter.

While making up 47 per cent of the workforce, women worldwide earn on average 20 per cent less than men.

The research evaluated countries based on multiple economic and gender indicators, such as the percentage of women business owners, women in managerial positions, employment gap between genders, wage disparities, maternity leave provisions, and women's perception of safety.

Each factor was weighted to create a Women's Well-Being Score that reflects both professional opportunities and quality of life.