Iceland

Iceland has an excellent record on gender equality, topping the World Economic Forum’s ranking of most gender equal country for 14 consecutive years. It was also the first country to elect a female president, Vigdis Finnbogadóttir, who won the 1980 presidential election as well as the next three. The Parliament, the Althingi, almost became the first European country to elect a female-majority parliament in 2021, but after a recount narrowly missed the target, with women winning 30 out of 63 seats.

Initial election result gave women 33 seats, but total was later revised down to 30.

Iceland briefly celebrated electing a female-majority parliament on Sunday, before a recount produced a result just short of the landmark for gender parity in the north Atlantic island nation.

A nursery, complete with a diaper change facility, has been opened at the first floor of Iceland’s Parliament building. Secretary-General of Alþingi Ragna Árnadóttir told Vísir that this is a good step towards making Parliament a more family-friendly workplace. Parliamentary sessions have also recently been rescheduled in order to shorten workweek and increase predictability for parliament staff.

Iceland’s prime minister has indicated that female leaders have offered a better response to coronavirus across the world than some of their male counterparts. Katrín Jakobsdóttir said: ‘It’s a remarkable fact that a lot of female leaders have actually been listening very closely to our scientists.’ She was asked on This Morning about whether female prime ministers have seemingly done better when it comes to containing Covid-19.

The Icelandic Prime Minister, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, participated in a UN conference on the impact of COVID-19 on gender equality and the status of women, Fréttablaðið reports. She highlighted the increased risk of domestic violence, the pivotal role women play in the healthcare system and the additional economic and social pressures women are facing during the pandemic.

According to a new study, around 80% of women in Parliament are exposed to gender-based violence. In May, the study surveyed 33 women who are working in or have recently quit Parliament, with 25 women responding. The results of the study are presented in a new book by Dr. Haukur Arnþórsson, which was released on October 18.

There are calls for several Icelandic MPs to resign after they were recorded using crude language to describe female colleagues and a disabled activist.

Icelanders were especially shocked that the MPs' targets included ex-MP Freyja Haraldsdottir, a disabled woman and well-known disability rights activist.

Iceland has long been seen as a beacon for women's rights and has a female prime minister, Katrin Jakobsdottir.