Rights and Opportunities
There is not one country, city or town in the world where women can claim that they have the same rights and opportunities as men. Worst yet, of the world’s 1.3 billion absolute poor, the majority are women, according to the United Nations.

Feelings about Themselves
Approximately 620 million women in the world, or 26%, say they are “thriving,” representing one in four women. The rest, around 2 billion women say they are “struggling” or “suffering”, according to a recent survey by Gallup.

Countries Good to Women
Iceland, Sweden, and Canada are said to be the countries where women are doing well in all aspects, according to the women surveyed by Gallup. In many Latin American countries such as Paraguay, Uruguay, Ecuador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, and so in Denmark, women said, they feel treated with respect, and have enough reasons to smile often.

Countries Not-so-good to Women
Iraq, Iran, Egypt, and Greek lead the list countries where women said they experience negative emotions more often, such as worry, stress, physical pain and sadness. Bolivia and Peru also are mentioned in this list. Gallup experts conclude that this is directly related to the instability prevailing in a country, militarily, economically, or politically.

Violence
The United Nations affirms that 1 in 3 women will suffer some type of violence sometime in their life, with rape and domestic violence listed as significant causes of disability and death among women worldwide.

Salary (USA)
The US Census indicates that the average annual salary for women in 2013 (the most recent data) was $39,157, while the average salary for men was $50,033. Dollar by Dollar, a woman makes 78c per $1 dollar earned by a man.

Women in Science (USA)
According to the latest data by the US Census, 63% of social scientists are women, and this is the greatest gain for female representation in science, technology, engineering, and math. In contrast, only 14% of engineers are women; therefore, men dominate the engineering field. Similarly, only 45 percent of mathematicians and statisticians are women.

Overall, experts say that having a job, attaining education, and continuing learning new skills are fundamental to a woman’s long-term empowerment. Similarly, support from family and friends makes a difference in how a woman feels about herself, whether she is thriving or struggling.

In case you wonder about International Women’s Day: It was first held in 1911, and it is annually held on March 8 to celebrate women’s achievements throughout history and across nations. It is also known as the United Nations (UN) Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace.The United States government recognizes March as Women’s History Month.

Editor: Lupita Peimbert. 
Formerly news reporter, Lupita is a content writer who lives in San Francisco. Follow her @Lupitanews, #Lupitanews, or join her blog Lupitanews.com.
Photo by nerusunero. He is an Italian artists and illustrator who lives in Dublin, Ireland.