When you think of Iceland, a few things may spring to mind. The Northern Lights, a rugged landscape peppered with geysers, glaciers and volcanoes, an often casual attitude towards sex and dating, and perhaps, depending on how woke you are, gender equality. The Nordic island nation is the most gender-equal country in the world, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index, a title it has boasted for nine consecutive years.
There are numerous explanations for its pole position: women's near-equal participation in the workforce thanks to childcare provision, thriving feminist movements having ensured issues like paternity leave and gender quotas remain at the forefront of public debate, and a cultural legacy of strong women – just look at all-female rap group Reykjavíkurdætur ("daughters of Reykjavík") – to name a few.
But the tiny country, with a population of around 340,000, is by no means a nirvana of equality. It may have passed a law in January putting the onus on bosses to prove they're paying women and men equally, but the pay gap persists. It currently stands at around 16%, more than 40 years since the groundbreaking women's strike of 1975, which saw 90% of all women go on strike for a day.
Immigrants and women of colour also face barriers and discrimination, yet their stories are often conveniently overlooked by people preferring to focus on what the country has got right. So what is daily life really like for women living in the most equal country in the world? Refinery29 asked five of them.
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Eydís Blöndal, 24, is a student and poet who was born and raised in Reykjavík.
Broadly speaking, what is it like being a woman in Iceland? What are the best and worst things about it?
The best thing is probably knowing that this is as good as it gets, but that makes me sad sometimes. I’m thankful for all the opportunities I get just because I was born here, and I’m grateful for all the women who came before me and fought for all the rights I probably don’t even acknowledge. I get to exercise freedom in a way many women in other parts of the world don’t. I get to seek education, or not, it’s totally up to me and even if I don't go to college I'd still be able to live a good life. I most often feel like people take me seriously, which I know isn't a given everywhere. The list goes on and on.
I'm a very privileged person – apart from being a woman there's really nothing standing in my way of doing whatever I would like to do. But I still feel like there are many subjective factors in our society that keep women from getting as far as men, and I think that’s feminism’s biggest challenge today. The most difficult thing about raising awareness of these issues facing women around the world, even in Iceland, is that they aren’t really tangible. Not tangible in the same sense as unequal pay or the number of women in parliament.
Do you believe Iceland deserves its title as the "most equal country in the world"?
Sure. From what I see in the media about women’s issues in other parts of the world I realise Iceland may deserve that title, but that doesn’t mean Iceland is in any way perfect. Women have a harder time in politics than men, they get criticised in a more personal way and people are quicker to write them off. We have this big rap group of women and people who don’t like them will discredit every other woman as a bad rapper. It all comes down to respect and recognising women as their own person. You can detect this trend in every part of our society. And I’m just talking about women who are Icelandic, able-bodied, cisgendered, straight – and even the educated and upper class. Women who don’t have these privileges are more vulnerable to discrimination. This is probably a problem in every country and I think this may be the core of all the issues women face.
Do you believe gender equality filters down to all women in Iceland regardless of social class and race, or is it only applicable to the richest women?
Unfortunately we're far behind on issues concerning women who aren’t at the top of the "privilege pyramid" and, of course, the women who are at the top have the loudest voice. So it’s our responsibility and obligation to give the other women in our society space and a voice to speak up. Our place in society mostly depends on factors over which we have no control. It's our duty to recognise our privilege, to realise when we have more opportunities than others because of our privilege, and to do something to make way for them. Doing this doesn’t make you a hero, it just makes you a decent human being.
Aldís Amah Hamilton, 26, is an actor and flight attendant who moved to Reykjavík with her mum in 1994 from Germany, where she was born.
Broadly speaking, what is it like being a woman in Iceland? What are the best and worst things about it?
Women in Iceland are generally pretty equal to men. A bill recently passed making it illegal to pay women less than men and the #MeToo movement got great support from almost everyone. It's not perfect though. We don't have enough support for new parents compared to Sweden, for example, and with women still getting paid less than men in certain areas, their partners usually need to stay working for longer to make ends meet. This means female employees are less desirable and men spend less time with their newborns. Nobody really wins. Women also don't hold as many powerful positions as men, which needs to change.
Do you believe Iceland deserves its title as the "most equal country in the world"?
I'm not sure about the word "most", but we do deserve a high ranking. Both sexes want children to grow up with equal opportunities and seem to agree we need to lead by example, and most of us do. However, in the wake of #MeToo we were just as shocked as other countries at how many women had experienced abuse, harassment, financial inequality and disrespect at home and in the workplace. The ranking also obviously doesn't take into account every aspect of being a woman or everything that happens behind closed doors. We still can do better. That being said, we all want to do better and that alone sheds a positive light on how we perceive equality.
Do you believe gender equality filters down to all women in Iceland, regardless of social class and race, or is it only applicable to the richest women?
Sadly no. #MeToo included women from foreign countries who had moved to Iceland and out of all the stories, theirs were some of the most shocking and sad because it also showed that we, Icelandic women, weren't supporting our foreign sisters. It broke my heart. As a middle-class woman of mixed heritage, I haven't experienced inequality due to my race, because I think we perceive ourselves as Icelandic because of our language.
Women who don't speak the language, regardless of race or financial status, have a hard time integrating into society and that makes them more vulnerable. Less money means less free time to learn our language and it's difficult to know your rights when you can't understand what the social rules say.
In your experience, do boys and men behave any more respectfully towards women and each other than in other countries?
Yes! My generation has got it good in terms of social equality. The generations before us had to fight for their rights and we reap the rewards. I haven't been catcalled in Iceland for years now but it was more common when I was younger. Guys my age speak freely about their emotions and are realising that treating women with respect is, aside from being normal, sexy. We have private schools that focus heavily on celebrating our differences as men and women but also stress the importance of treating each other with respect.
However, I've heard that the younger smartphone generation are having a harder time establishing similar social rules since there basically aren't any online, so we have a lot of young girls being harassed sexually or abused through slut shaming, child pornography and such. This is unknown territory that feels like it's way behind in terms of equality.
What are the main ways you personally experience gender discrimination?
I hardly ever feel discriminated against nowadays, which I think is because I live alone. Equality has yet to find its way into our homes – women are still doing most of the housework and are raised to clean, do laundry, plan ahead and take care of household responsibilities. Most women around me complain about their partners not pulling their weight around the house, but women are partly to blame because we often just do the things that need doing without asking our partners to do them. We don't want to "nag" or ask for "help". We're programmed to do all these things and it bleeds into our self-worth, making women the natural caterers and men the catered-to.
Heiða Kristín Helgadóttir, 34, is the CEO and founder of EFNI with a background in politics. She carries both an Icelandic and American passport but has spent most of her life in Reykjavík, where she still lives.
Broadly speaking, what is it like being a woman in Iceland? What are the best and worst things about it?
The interesting thing I love about Iceland is that social change can take leaps forward in a relatively short time. That has been true in terms of LGBT rights and women’s rights – especially when it comes to legal rights and reform. When I was serving as a parliamentarian in 2015 we had the first parliament where women in parliament reached nearly 50%. However, it's ridiculous that we're made to think it's a great accomplishment – that it should have taken us so long to reach this point makes no sense.
Women in Iceland have it a lot better than in, say, Saudi Arabia, but we're still held back and discriminated against, in ways we sometimes don't see or realise until after the fact, or we just see it as the normal way of being. Movements like #MeToo are important to help change this perception of what is normal and what we should be celebrating as milestones. I'm proud that Iceland is leading the way on women’s rights, but I'm still impatient for a time when equality is a reality for all women.
Do you believe Iceland deserves its title as the "most equal country in the world"?
Titles like that make complicated things simple and black and white, which isn't always helpful. It can be used to slow down further development and improvement.
Do you believe gender equality filters down to all women in Iceland regardless of social class and race, or is it only applicable to the richest women?
Education, race, economic circumstances, religion, political beliefs and other factors still have an impact on equality. I'm well educated and am lucky to be able to "play the game", whether it be in politics or business, and can therefore take on a few more fights and create a place for myself at the table. But I'm sure there are many others with more to lose, or who don't have the same safety net, or just lack the experience to speak up or demand equal treatment and rights.
Due to Iceland's small population, women have always been expected to participate in the workforce, which has pushed issues like pay equality to the fore because men can't systemically claim we don't play our part.
In your experience, do boys and men behave any more respectfully towards women and each other than in other countries?
That's a difficult question. I don't know if it's a cultural thing or not and I don't like to generalise but I notice a generational difference. Younger men I'm in contact with don't seem to have the same issues with taking orders from women as men 10 to 15 years older than me.
What are the main ways you personally experience gender discrimination?
I'm always in the company of more men than women and I enjoy it very much, but mostly that's because fewer women step into the fields I've chosen to spend most of my adult life in – high level politics and business. I mostly haven't felt unwelcome or out of place, but have definitely had moments where I want to scream at men for their lack of respect – when they’re not including me, going behind my back or mansplaining things to me.
Photo: Baldur Kristjánsson
Thordis Nadia Semichat, 33, is a student, comedian, dance teacher and burlesque performer. She is half Icelandic, half Tunisian and was born and raised in Reykjavík, where she has lived for most of her life. She currently lives in New York.
Broadly speaking, what is it like being a woman in Iceland? What are the best and worst things about it?
You feel very free to do whatever you like. I’ve never felt I couldn’t do something just because I’m a woman. I’ve lived in other countries like Tunisia where it was clear I couldn’t do the same things as men. In Iceland, I’m also free to express my sexuality the way I like and sleep with as many people as I like without being slut shamed. I can walk around in any kind of clothes without being catcalled or looked at by men. Swimming pools are a very important part of Icelandic culture and you need to shower naked before getting into the pool, so from a very young age you get used to seeing different kinds of bodies and accept that everyone’s body is unique and you don’t need to be ashamed of yours.
Although Iceland is a great place for women, there's a huge amount of pressure for women to be able to do everything and be equally good at everything. Like juggling careers, being mothers and keeping themselves fit. This could be seen as a luxury problem and some may not agree with me, but I feel women who "have it all" are highly celebrated and it makes me wonder if men feel they’re under the same pressure to be perfect in every field.
Do you believe Iceland deserves its title as the "most equal country in the world"?
When I go abroad I see very clearly how gender-equal we are compared to other countries. Almost every TV show has an equal proportion of men and women, which you don't necessarily see in other countries.
Do you believe gender equality filters down to all women in Iceland regardless of social class and race, or is it only applicable to the richest women?
Gender equality doesn’t benefit every woman in our society. Immigrants get less respect than other women in Iceland. Recently, immigrant women have shared their devastating stories of sexual harassment and abuse they've experienced in society and at work. A lot of them said men felt entitled to cross their boundaries because they were foreigners. Although I haven’t experienced anything as brutal, because of my mixed heritage I've been in situations where older men assumed I wasn't Icelandic and treated me as an object, offering me money, because they thought I was a poor foreign girl looking for a man who would sustain me. I’ve also had sexual comments – in all cases from men in their 50s or 60s – about how exciting it would be having sex with a woman of colour. So, no, equality doesn’t reach all classes or races.
In your experience, do boys and men behave any more respectfully towards women and each other than in other countries?
I don’t think Icelanders are very respectful in general. It’s not part of our culture. We don’t offer old people seats on the bus and nobody opens the door for you just because you’re a woman. The mentality is more like “each for their own”, so in that way people treat each other equally. There is a class division in Iceland, but I don’t think you see it as much as in other countries. People are all equally rude to one another.
What are the main ways you personally experience gender discrimination?
Gender discrimination is very subtle in Iceland. I used to work at a place where it was obvious that the men got more projects than the women. I felt I had to be very aggressive in order to be listened to and taken seriously and a lot of women were insecure about their work because they weren’t offered as many or as big projects as the men. I felt it was very hard asking for a raise because I felt I couldn’t justify how important my work was to the company. Another thing I notice sometimes is that if you’re in a group of guys, even though they don’t mean to, they're very quick to talk over you or interrupt you if they’re not interested in what you’re saying. These are minor but are, I would say, things men need to be more aware of.
Kathryn Elizabeth Gunnarsson, 40, is a senior consultant at TeqHire who lives with her Icelandic husband and two daughters in the Reykjavík neighbourhood of Laugardalur. She is originally from the UK and left London for Iceland in May 2016. She's involved with various projects and women-focused groups, including Women Tech Iceland, which promotes women in technology.
Broadly speaking, what is it like being a woman in Iceland? What are the best and worst things about it?
It's an extremely positive experience. The main reason we moved was for a better work/life balance and wanting to spend more time with our children. Staying in the UK would have meant a long commute, long hours and someone else having the privilege of bringing up our children. We're both career driven, but we wanted a more balanced lifestyle and companies in Iceland understand the importance of family life. It's not frowned upon for men to leave work at 4pm to pick up their children, or to stay at home with them if they're ill. Family values are a big part of Icelandic life, and for most, caring of children is equal. The working hours also mean we can have breakfast together, and I can drop the children at kindergarten on my way to work, which is just a 10-minute walk away. Then at 4pm, either my husband or I will pick them up and we're all home by 5.30pm to have dinner and spend quality time together.
Iceland's policy on parental leave was another big factor in us leaving the UK. Maternity and paternity leave are shared, with each parent getting a guaranteed three months off, paid at 80% of their average salary earning, capped at 500.000 ISK (around £3,600) per month. There's then an additional three months which they can also share. When we lived in London and had our second daughter, my husband had just started a new job and took just one day off as he wasn’t entitled to any paternity leave. In my view, countries that want to become more gender neutral need to review parental rights, pre-school childcare facilities and flexible working options. Making it easier for families to share childcare responsibilities from birth naturally creates a more gender-equal environment.
The schooling system in the UK was another huge factor in our move. Our eldest daughter would have started school last September if we'd stayed in the UK, which would have meant having to move to an area with good schools and then hoping for the best. Here in Iceland, children don’t start school until age six. Until then they're in kindergarten and are guaranteed a place, after a certain age, at a subsidised cost. They then move progressively through the schooling system in the local neighbourhood.
The gender-neutral culture was another draw for us. Girls in Iceland are encouraged to play whatever sport they want. It's not unusual to see them playing football and handball as much as boys. Teaching children young that gender isn't an obstacle to achievement goes a long way to creating a gender-neutral environment.
Do you believe Iceland deserves its title as the "most equal country in the world"?
There's a strong community spirit in Iceland as it's a small nation and the women are noticeably strong-minded. If a group isn’t happy about something, people get together to resolve it – the most famous example being the 1975 women's strike. My concern is that this was over 42 years ago, and only this year has Iceland implemented a law to ensure women are paid equally to men. This is a very positive outcome, but we have to ask why it's taken so long.
Do you believe gender equality filters down to all women in Iceland regardless of social class and race, or is it only applicable to the richest women?
I don't have direct experience of any gender issues in Iceland, so my personal experience is positive, especially within the workplace. However, following the #MeToo movement, I know many women of foreign origin have a very different experience, and have shared their stories of violence, racism, sexism and general mistreatment because they're not Icelanders, both in personal relationships and in the workplace. It’s heartbreaking to read and Iceland can be a lonely place if you aren’t accepted into the community. The justice system is also geared towards protecting men, and women who have been abused or are seeking custody of their children often don't get the justice they deserve.
There is, however, a big and growing community of foreign women and immigrants, and support for them is growing. Groups such as WOMEN In Iceland, Samtök kvenna af erlendum uppruna á Íslandi (Women’s Association of Foreign Origin in Iceland), which was founded over 15 years ago, show there's a historical need for support for women who aren't natives.
In your experience, do boys and men behave any more respectfully towards women and each other than in other countries?
Yes, I've had a very positive experience. My husband and I have always been equally career driven and take equal care of our children. I work in a male-dominated environment within the tech industry – at the moment I'm the only female employee at my company – but I haven't been treated differently due to my gender. However, I have a wide network and hear about other women's bad experiences.
What are the main ways you personally experience gender discrimination?
In the UK and earlier in my career, there were times when I felt inferior as a woman. I was younger, more naive and found it difficult to speak up. But as my career has developed, I've found more confidence and learned to speak up when something doesn’t feel right. We're bringing our daughters up with the same values, to respect who they are and say if something isn’t right. Iceland is certainly the best place for us to bring up our daughters, where they can thrive throughout their lives and grow into strong women.
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