The United States may be a wealthy, privileged, industrialized nation, but when it comes to being an ideal place to raise a family, it ranks well below several European countries. Take into account nonexistent parental leave policies, low preschool enrollment rates, and high teen-pregnancy rates and its rank falls even further, according to Save the Children, an independent organization dedicated to helping children around the world. 

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"In the United States, mothers face a one in 2,100 risk of maternal death -- the highest of any industrialized nation," the report points out. "Only three developed countries -- Albania, Moldova, and the Russian Federation -- perform worse than the United States on this indicator." 

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"A woman in the U.S. is more than seven times as likely to die of a pregnancy-related cause in her lifetime than a woman in Italy or Ireland," Miles adds. "When it comes to the number of children enrolled in preschools or the political status of women, the United States also places in the bottom 10 countries of the developed world."