More and more women are attending and graduating from university (in fact, more than men), but are actually underrepresented when it comes to working abroad. Only 25 percent of female expats move abroad for work, with 28 percent instead moving for love or for their partner’s work or education.

To celebrate International Women’s Day, expat resource site InterNations’ took a look at the views of the 8,855 women who were surveyed in their Expat Insider 2018 report. The survey’s Working Abroad Index asked participants to rate their destination on factors such as career prospects, work-life balance and job security.

Interestingly, the US didn’t fare too well in the list of best places to work – coming 29^th out of 57 destinations. Female expats in the US rated both their job security and work-life balance lower than the global average, although there is encouraging news too, as 63 percent of women working in the US rated their career prospects positively, higher than the worldwide average of just 53 percent. For men, it’s even more encouraging, with 72 percent satisfied with their career prospects in the US.

So if you’ve got your sights set on working abroad after your studies, read on to discover the 10 most popular places for women to work according to the Working Abroad Index. And if you’re a woman looking to study abroad, check out our list of scholarships for women here.

10. Australia

Kicking off this list of the best places to work abroad as a female expat is Australia. Not only favored for its amazing weather and buzzing cities, 64 percent of women were satisfied with their jobs overall here, and its scores show a particular strength for the work-life balance factor – giving expats plenty of time to soak up the sun. Both Melbourne and Sydney also rank within the top 10 of the QS Best Student Cities, with the former ranked joint ninth for the ‘employer activity’ indicator, demonstrating that Australia is an excellent place both for studies and post-graduation opportunities.   

Career prospects: 65 percent satisfied

Work-life balance: 70 percent satisfied

Job security: 64 percent satisfied

9. Malta

The beautiful island of Malta is not just an ideal holiday destination – it’s also perfect for expat women looking for a positive work-life balance. Although it gets its lowest rating for career prospects, it’s still above the global average.

Career prospects: 58 percent satisfied

Work-life balance: 70 percent satisfied

Job security: 66 percent satisfied

8. The Netherlands

It’s perhaps no coincidence that the Netherlands rates so highly with expats, as it has one of the shortest working weeks in the world, at 29 hours, leaving plenty of time to enjoy the nation’s famed café culture. Also, an incredible 92 percent of women say they’re happy with the economy here, compared to a global average of 63 percent.

Career prospects: 58 percent satisfied

Work-life balance: 73 percent satisfied

Job security: 68 percent satisfied

7. New Zealand

Heading back to Oceania, New Zealand is rated seventh overall among the list of best places to work abroad according to women, with one female expat citing the “ease of getting jobs and starting a business of our own.” It’s also undoubtedly one of the most beautiful countries in the world, also boasting a high quality of life, a progressive society, and very friendly and welcoming locals.

Career prospects: 51 percent satisfied

Work-life balance: 78 percent satisfied

Job security: 68 percent satisfied

6. Luxembourg

A small and wealthy European country, Luxembourg is placed sixth among the best places to work abroad, and proves to be a highly lucrative choice, with more than three-quarters of female expats working in Luxembourg stating that they believe they earn more than they would in a similar position back home. Luxembourg also has one of the lowest gender pay gaps in Europe.

Career prospects: 56 percent satisfied

Work-life balance: 65 percent satisfied

Job security: 70 percent satisfied

5. Denmark

Heading to Scandinavia, Denmark is currently the third-happiest country in the world according to the latest World Happiness Report. Working hours are low and expat women enjoy a positive work-life balance, with 84 percent stating they’re happy with their work hours. In fact, Denmark receives the highest score for work-life balance in the survey.

Career prospects: 49 percent satisfied

Work-life balance: 82 percent satisfied

Job security: 61 percent satisfied

4. Norway

Norway claims fourth place among the list of best places to work abroad as a female expat, with one British respondent citing how the country gives her the “opportunity to live a healthy life with a good work-life balance”. It’s also the second-happiest country in the world as of the World Happiness Report, with low crime rates, a booming economy and beautiful natural landscape of fjords and mountains.

Career prospects: 50 percent satisfied

Work-life balance: 75 percent satisfied

Job security: 73 percent satisfied

3. Taiwan

Taiwan climbed from 11^th in 2017 to rank as the third-best location for women looking to work overseas, thanks to women’s higher satisfaction with their work hours and career prospects. One of the ‘Four Asian Tigers’ alongside Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea, Taiwan is particularly alluring for expats looking for roles within the growing tech industry, with capital city Taipei known as one of the global cities in technology and electronics.

Career prospects: 66 percent satisfied

Work-life balance: 77 percent satisfied

Job security: 72 percent satisfied

2. Bahrain

Also voted the best expat destination overall when considering both genders, the small Middle-Eastern island nation of Bahrain comes second in the list of best places for women to work abroad. Bahrain has invented heavily in the banking and tourism sectors in recent years, with capital city Manama home to over two hundred financial institutions and banks. It’s also been praised for having the ‘freest economy in the Middle East’.

Career prospects: 66 percent satisfied

Work-life balance: 76 percent satisfied

Job security: 61 percent satisfied

1. Czech Republic

And finally, the number one location for women working abroad is the Czech Republic – with an impressive 83 percent of women saying they’re satisfied overall with their jobs (11 percent higher than the figure for men). It’s popular with international students and expats alike, with both Prague and Brno ranked among the top 10 best student cities according to students themselves in the QS Best Student Cities index, thanks to their vibrant cultures, affordability, tolerance and inclusivity.

The rest of the stats speak for themselves:

• Career prospects: 73 percent satisfied
• Work-life balance: 79 percent satisfied
• Job security: 78 percent satisfied

And the worst…

Some locations were less popular with female expats, with Greece coming last due to its difficult economic climate in recent years. Italy was next due to its low salaries in relation to high living costs, followed by Serbia, Argentina, Turkey, Myanmar, South Africa, Romania, Kuwait and Egypt.

Other reasons given for these destinations’ poor ratings in the survey were low salaries, lack of job security, and lack of opportunities available for those who don’t speak the local language. However, Myanmar was praised for its friendliness, and 66 percent of female expats were satisfied with their job security (higher than the global average of 58 percent).

Do you agree or disagree with the findings of the Expat Insider report? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Sponsored by LSE

If you’re interested in developing the expertise and skillset needed to combat injustices on both a local and global scale, the Master’s in Global Health Policy, or Master’s in Health and International Development at LSE may be perfect for you. LSE offers a number of master’s programs which are dedicated to exploring and understanding some of the largest global challenges the world is facing at the moment.

Many of LSE’s health policy graduates and international development graduates have gone onto enjoy employment in more than 90 countries worldwide across a range of industries, including NGOs (non-governmental organizations) and INGOs (international non-governmental organizations), government departments, consulting firms, pharmaceutical and medical devices industries, and national health services.

Using data from Prospects, we’ve listed below some of the careers you could pursue with a master’s in global health policy, or a master’s in health and international development.

International global health and development worker

Although it may be an unpredictable and diverse sector to work in, a career as an international global health and development worker can be a highly rewarding experience. You could be responsible for providing aid and assistance to those affected by either natural or manmade disasters in developing countries and communities.

You could also be involved with helping develop policies and programs to improve health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries. Your job role may vary largely between fundraising, carrying out relief work, liaising with local agencies and authorities, and collaborating with others to set up long-term sustainable solutions for whichever country you’re based in.

Just as the job itself can be unpredictable, so can the pay. Salaries as an international health development worker can vary tremendously depending on your experience, skillset, where you’re based, and the organization you work for.

A degree is almost always necessary, and so the Master’s in Health and International Development or Master’s in Global Health Policy at LSE should help you get on the right career path. It should also go without saying that substantial work experience will give you and your CV an incredible boost.

Global health policy analyst

Like the idea of making a positive impact on a local or global community? Want to help improve welfare, lifestyle and education? As a policy analyst, you should be comfortable with investigating complex data and able to support and collaborate with the policy and research team to devise new and amended health strategies and policies.

Policy analysts work for government, international organizations, NGOs and consultancies. To pursue a career as a policy analyst, it’s advised that you have a master’s which specializes in this area.

Consultant

As a consultant, you’ll research development issues in order to help organizations formulate and implement policy strategies to overcome such problems and have the organization move forward. You don’t necessarily need a clinical background for this job as your holistic knowledge from a master’s in global health policy or health and international development, for example, means you can still pursue a valuable and rewarding career across a range of areas, including: nutrition, health care management and policy development.

At LSE, postgraduate students studying the Master’s in Health and International Development or Master’s in Global Health Policy can put theory into practice as they’re given the opportunity to study a module in Consultancy in International Development for an external client.

Policy and advocacy advisor

With a Master’s in Health and International Development or Master’s in Global Health Policy, you may find yourself attracted to the idea of a career as a policy and advocacy advisor.

Running campaigns and planning effective policy strategies are part of the day-to-day workings in order to strengthen your own organization’s goals and influence a wide audience, including external organizations and individuals. You’ll need strong communication skills, resilience and a strong grasp of global health issues as you stand up and speak out for those who may not be able to do so themselves.

There is so much hype surrounding Australia and its reputation for hosting the ‘world’s deadliest creatures’— and that statement isn’t completely false. There are definitely plenty of things that could kill you, but it is also pretty over-exaggerated as not very many people have actually died from coming across one.

However, it’s still one of the first concerns you hear from someone when you tell them you’re visiting or have visited Australia. I mean, you’ve probably heard of one or two shark attacks on the news, but those instances are few and far between.  In reality, the creatures you’re so afraid of are probably not as prevalent or so-called ‘deadly’ as you may think.

1. They’re not as prevalent as you think

The first thing anyone asks you when you tell them you went to Australia is: “But how did you deal with all the spiders and snakes?”. And the truth is, most people don’t come across any.  

It’s basically the same deal everywhere, where the more remote and outback areas you go will bring more of the creepy-crawlies, and the crocs tend to reside in the more northern parts of Australia in restricted areas. And of course, sharks are going to be a risk when going into the sea in many places, and there’s no reason to restrict yourself from enjoying a day at the beach because of them. (Just don’t watch Jaws before your trip…).   

2. Big cities aren't an issue

If you’re visiting a big city such as Sydney, you definitely won’t see a spider slithering down the street on your way to the supermarket or a crocodile ready to snatch you up. You will most likely still have a friendly spider visitor in your bedroom, but that’s about the gist of it.

Although, when you head to the beach, you still have to watch out for the jellyfish and sharks lurking in the water, but the beaches are so populated in cities that most of them are highly monitored.

3. Not everything can kill you

Just because you see a mysterious bug in your kitchen, doesn’t mean it’s going to kill you. In fact, there are a ton of species that look like they are bad news but are actually extremely harmless. For example, the famous Australian Huntsman Spider is just about the worst, most-terrifying looking thing you will probably come across, but they are actually friendly as can be. In fact, they eat up a lot of the things you definitely wouldn’t want to come across, so they’re handy to keep around.

4. There are a ton of precautions taken

Australia knows that there are a lot of dangerous species around, so they take precautions to ensure that everyone (especially un-informed tourists) remains safe. Essentially, most beaches you visit will have lifeguards present who will announce when it is unsafe to go in the water, as well as ‘shark helicopters’ that monitor popular beaches for marine-life activity.

Lifeguards are also on the hunt for dangerous jellyfish floating in the water, and will ensure everyone gets the heck out of the water if they are present. I mean, have you ever seen Bondi Rescue? Those guys know what’s up.

5. Signs will be hard to miss

Nothing is worse than showing up at the beach only to find a big sign with a giant ‘X’ through an image of someone swimming. These signs will generally be present all over Australia, since tourists may think that any watering hole is safe to swim in. As you might have guessed, this is NOT the case here, but that doesn’t mean people don’t act foolish.

In the far north of Australia, a beach that seems perfectly nice to swim in could actually have salt water crocodiles residing in it. So, essentially, if you aren’t meant to go somewhere, chances are there will be a sign for it. And if there isn’t, it’s probably a good idea that you ask a local just in case.

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The QS World University Rankings by Subject 2019 is out now, covering hundreds of the world’s top universities for 48 distinct disciplines. The most extensive rankings of its kind, they’re an invaluable tool for many students, helping you to narrow down universities based on your ideal course and study destination. The rankings are calculated based on a methodology which assesses each institution on four indicators: academic reputation, employer reputation, research citations per paper, and the H-index.

But what if you’re still not sure what subject you want to study? We have a light-hearted quiz on this very question, and you can read advice on how to find a course you’ll really love here. You might also like to read our course guides, which give further insight on what it’s like to study a certain subject, what specializations you could choose from, and what careers that course could open doors to.

We’ve also published articles giving further insight on the top universities for 15 of the most popular subjects:

• Architecture: Top Architecture Schools by Region 2019
• Art and design: Top Art & Design Schools in 2019
• Business and management: Top Business Schools in 2019
• Computer science: Top Computer Science Schools in the US in 2019
• Dentistry: Scholarships for the Top Dentistry Schools in 2019
• Economics: Top Universities for Economics in 2019
• Engineering: Top Engineering Schools in 2019
• Law: Top Law Schools in 2019
• Mathematics: Top Universities for Mathematics in 2019
• Medicine: Top Medical Schools in 2019
• Physics: Top Universities for Physics in 2019
• Politics: Scholarships to Study at the 10 Top Universities for Politics in 2019
• Psychology: Top Universities for Psychology in 2019
• Theology: Top Universities for Theology in 2019
• Veterinary science: Top Universities for Veterinary Science in 2019

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Video by Azizan Malek for TopUniversities.com.