Keating: Outdoing the U.S. for mothers

Here's a look at how moms in some of the nonprofit organization's top 24 live.

The government even gives a special grant to families who choose to have one parent stay home with a child until age 2. Should they choose to go back to work, a 37.5-hour workweek and five weeks of guaranteed vacation take a bit of the pressure out of being a working mom. Norway's fertility rates have diminished somewhat in recent years but are still among the highest in Europe.

Because of these policies, Iceland has pulled off the feat of having both the highest rate of women's participation in the workforce - 82.6 percent - and one of Europe's highest fertility rates. The World Economic Forum has consistently ranked Iceland as the world's top country for gender equality. Under Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir, half the country's legislature and four of its 10 Cabinet members are women.

The only downside to being a mom in Iceland? You have to choose your child's name from a government-approved list. Hope you like Haldor and Kaja.

One unique feature of motherhood in New Zealand is the Royal New Zealand Plunket Society, a private - though largely government-funded - organization that has provided free nursing and instructional services to new mothers since 1907. The "Plunket nurse" has been an icon of Kiwi society for over a century.

One black mark on the country's record is the health of Maori mothers, who suffer far higher rates of maternal death and stillbirths than mothers of European descent.

Interestingly, the French system encourages large families by increasing benefits substantially with the birth of a third child.

France's health-care system - rated best in the world by the World Health Organization - is also extremely generous for new mothers, going beyond free doctor's visits to cover home visits from registered nurses. (Despite what Michael Moore might tell you, these nurses generally won't do your laundry.) The level of postnatal care the French state provides can also sometimes get surprisingly intimate.

In a bid to boost the country's plummeting birth rates, the government recently extended unpaid maternity leave to three years, on top of 24 weeks of paid leave. As part of the same maternity push, the government last year even considered giving extra votes in elections to women with children.