US ranks 17th worldwide in list of best places for women(health, financial

and gender equality practices were considered).
========================
... the United States ranks only "an abysmal" 17th worldwide among the best places for women, Marie Claire reports.

No. 1, according to the rankings compiled by the World Economic Forum, is Sweden, which is the "most advanced country for women, with greater levels of equality, power and well-being than anywhere else," Abigail Haworth writes.

More than 60 percent of all Swedish college students are women; women's sports are given as much TV airtime as men's; and "Swedish men do more housework than anywhere else — an average of 24 hours per week."

Rounding out the top 10 places for women based on their "health, financial and gender-equality practices," were, in order: Norway ("by law, all company boards must be at least 40 percent women"), Iceland, Denmark ("women have the highest employment rate in the world and smallest gender wage gap"), Finland, New Zealand, Canada, Britain, Germany and Australia.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/10/business/10offline.html
For a summary of the report:
http://www.weforum.org/site/homepublic.nsf/Content/Global+Competitiveness+Programme%5CWomen%27s+Empowerment%3A+Measuring+the+Global+Gender+Gap
For the entire report:http://www.weforum.org/pdf/Global_Competitiveness_Reports/Reports/gender_gap.pdf

We could live somewhere worse!

Isn't that what we're always told, even here on DU? I expect it elsewhere, but to get it here on DU is pretty eye-opening.

Though New Zealand's looking better and better.

but by no means perfect. It's getting there though :)

Any suggestions on how to do it?

I'd go with you if I did.