Coming from a Scandinavian country, we didn’t expect Iceland to be much more different than our own country. We believed we shared many of the same values and views on different subjects. One of these subjects were gender equality as we in Denmark pride ourselves with the assumption that the legal differences between the two genders are next to minimal. We expected this to be the same for the Icelandic population, yet after a trip to Iceland we clearly see the difference. Iceland is much more advanced in the battle for gender equality and frankly we were surprised how far behind Denmark is. It seems that both countries focus on equality for both sexes, but why is it that Iceland places number one on almost every list for the most equal country in the world, and Denmark merely places number 13. Is it because of the first female president in the world? The financial crisis? Or simply because of a common agreement between both sexes to treat each other with respect and equality? Having these questions in mind, we spoke with some of the Icelandic people which resulted in several interesting conversations and discoveries. For example, Iceland elected their first female president in 1980 making them the first country in the world to be lead by a woman. Meanwhile Denmark didn’t have a female leader until 2011. After multiple conversations with some female students in Iceland about how girls are treated in the two countries, they were shocked to learn how women are talked to by men. They told us, that such things would not happen in Iceland as sexism is not tolerated in schools, workplaces or everywhere else. In Iceland there is a day dedicated for women to reclaim and own the word “slut”. In Denmark you are simply just branded as one.
Moreover, in the Icelandic schools, posters showing various sexist situations decorate the halls. The posters all ask the question whether or not the given situations should be tolerated or not. Of course the implied message is that they should not be accepted. Iceland has made several initiatives concerning gender equality within the working force. Just last year Iceland made a law making it illegal for companies to wage workers differently based on their gender. In addition, Iceland made a law stating that at least 40% of a company's bosses are to be women.