Equal pay for women in Iceland

Iceland’s Equal Pay Bill
Iceland (Reykjavík)

Iceland is progressive. It ranks first on the World Economic Forum’s global gender gap index, is the first to legalise abortion and the first to elect a woman as head of state in a national election. Now for its next trick.

The Nordic nation is working on a law for 2020 that will require companies over 25 people to pay men and women equally for the same work “regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexuality, or nationality.” If passed this would be the first such law at the national level and would set the precedent for other countries. That’s another first.

In many countries, women earn less money than men for performing the same work. In the US, for example, women earn 83% of men’s median weekly earnings. In Iceland, women earn 14-18% less than men.

If the law passes in Iceland (it’s expected to get widespread support across parties), it could set a precedent globally for similar laws and ultimately closing the gender pay gap. Women’s livelihoods will certainly improve with higher wages as will several development indicators tied to women’s livelihoods such as child nutrition and education.

“Gender equality benefits all of us,” Iceland’s Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson said on International Women’s Day. The time is right to do something radical about this issue; the island nation of about 330,000 aims to eradicate the gender pay gap by 2022. Now it’s time for other countries to take note.

Written by

Lisa Goldapple, Editor, Atlas of the Future (18 April 2017)

Bio

Adapted from a piece by Alisha Bhagat for the Futures Centre.

Project leader

Bjarni Benediktsson, Iceland's Prime Minister and Social Affairs and Equality Minister Thorsteinn Viglundsson

Support the Atlas

We want the Atlas of the Future media platform and our event to be available to everybody, everywhere for free – always. Fancy helping us spread stories of hope and optimism to create a better tomorrow? For those able, we'd be grateful for any donation.

The progressive – and colourful – Reykjavik

The Northern Lights

Creative Commons License

Comments

 

Take me somewhere
Close
Take me somewhere
Close
Data Protection Act: LOPD.
In compliance with Organic Law 15/1999, of 13 of December, on Personal Data Protection, and the development of Rules of Procedure, approved by Royal Decree 1720/2007, of 21 of December, Atlas of the Future subscribers may be required to provide Personal Data, which will be included in a file owned by Democratising The Future Society SL. Such file is duly incorporated in the Spanish Data Protection Agency and protected in compliance with the security measures established in the applicable legislation. Subscribers may exercise, at any time, their rights of access, rectification, cancellation and/or opposition regarding their Personal Data. The subscriber shall notice their will, either under written form addressed to Democratising The Future Society SL, Ref. LOPD, Calabria, 10 6-3 08015 - Barcelona (Spain) and/or by e-mail, clicking here. Also, the subscriber shall communicate Atlas of the Future any modifications of their Personal Data stored, so that the information stored by Atlas of the Future remains at all times updated and error-free.
Close
Get World-changing projects and news in your inbox weekly.