A new law making it illegal to pay men more than women has taken effect in Iceland, making Iceland the first country in the world to legalise equal pay between men and women.
Under the new law, companies and government agencies employing at least 25 people will have to obtain government certification of equal-pay policies while those that fail to prove pay parity will face fines.
“The legislation is basically a mechanism that companies and organisations evaluate every job that’s being done, and then they get a certification after they confirm the process if they are paying men and women equally,” said Dagny Osk Aradottir Pind, a board member of the Icelandic Women’s Rights Association.
It’s a mechanism to ensure women and men are being paid equally,” said Dagny Osk Aradottir Pind, of the Icelandic Women’s Rights Association.
“We have had legislation saying that pay should be equal for men and women for decades now but we still have a pay gap.”
Iceland, an island Country in the North Atlantic Ocean, home to approximately 323,000 people, has a strong economy, based on tourism and fisheries.
For the past nine years, it has been ranked by the World Economic Forum (WEF) as the world’s most gender-equal Country.
The Global Gender Gap Report uses markers such as economic opportunity, political empowerment, and health and survival to gauge the state of gender equality in a Country.
Since the reports began in 2006, Iceland has closed around 10 % of its total gender gap, making it one of the fastest-improving countries in the world in this regard.
“I think that now people are starting to realise that this is a systematic problem that we have to tackle with new methods,” said Aradottir Pind.
The Icelandic government plans to completely eradicate the wage gap by 2020.
Women’s Equality is Literally Protected by Law
The law, established in 2000, was revamped in 2008 with the overarching goal of reaching equal rights through all paradigms of society. This law includes information on gender equality for government and businesses to follow.
Within the law, there are nine defined areas of gender discrimination. It identifies differences between indirect and direct gender discrimination, acknowledges gaps in wages, and recognizes that gender-based violence is detrimental to society.
The law draws out a roadmap to achieving gender equality, even including language on changing negative gender stereotypes. Within the law are 35 articles outlining specific policies on everything from outlawing gender discrimination in schoolbooks and the workplace to buying goods and services.
‘Equal Pay for Equal Work’ Is Mandatory
Parliament passed the bill legalising equal pay across gender, making it the first Country to make gender wage discrimination illegal. After passing, the government expects the law to roll into effect by 2020 in an effort to close the gender wage gap.
Previously, women earned between 14-18% less than men.
Companies’ Boards must Include at least 40% Women
Following the financial collapse in 2009, the government made an effort to include more women in seats of power to reduce corruption, although research shows that women being involved in governance does not reduce corruption. They also prosecuted those responsible for the financial crisis.
Article 15 of the Act on Equal Status and Equal Rights of Women and Men states that no public company board or government council or committee may have less than 40% gender equality.
The law also states that any company with more than 25 employees must have a gender equality program in place, which will review goals every three years.
Best Parental leave Policy in the World
Iceland has the best maternity/paternity policy in the world. The official law, created in 2000, is known as the ‘Icelandic Act on Maternity/Paternity and Parental Leave’.
The law itself was amended in 2006, increasing parental leave from six to nine months. The government covers parental leave for birth, adoption, and foster care for all employees in Iceland, even those who are self-employed paying 80% of earned salary to new parents. Parents split the time of leave equally to ensure children grow up with equal care from both parents, and workplaces are balanced.
From Preschool to College, Children learn Gender Equality Matters
After kids grow up with equal time from parents, gender equality lessons don’t stop. Article 23 of the Act on Equal Status and Equal Rights of Women and Men mandates that gender equality must be taught in schools throughout all levels of education.
This means from early education through University, which is free, all sports, classes, and forms of schooling must include and practice gender equality.
The law states: “educational materials and textbooks shall be designed in such a way as not to discriminate against either sex.”
Prostitution and Strip Clubs are illegal
For decades, prostitution has been illegal in Iceland. The difference, however, is in 2007 the government amended the law to punish those who patronised prostitutes arguing that most people who turn to soliciting sex have no other option or were coerced by others.
So instead of penalizing “victims of poor circumstances” who are often forced into prostitution, the law places criminalization on those who pay for sex, and third parties involved.
The Country also banned strip clubs in 2009. The revised law states no business may profit from the nudity of employees. The law was passed with complete support in parliament.
“It is not acceptable that women or people in general are a product to be sold,” said Kolbrun Halldorsdottir, who proposed the ban on strip clubs.
This applies to public advertising too. No ad may belittle any gender or go against the country’s fierce mission to achieve gender equality.
The formation of ‘Ministry of Gender Equality’
In Iceland, there’s a Ministry for complacency on gender equality.
The Country created an agency to check and balance progress on advancing equality as part of revisions to the Act on Equal Status and Equal Rights of Women and Men. The agency includes a three-part council, which includes the Equal Status Council, the Complaints Committee, and a new Centre for Gender Equality.
Together these agencies research, advertise, advocate, and check laws on gender equality. Their goal is to create a legal, cultural, historical, social and psychosocial approach to gender equality.
