Equality
The objective of the Gender Equality Act is to prevent discrimination on the basis of gender and to maintain gender equality and equal opportunities for the genders in all spheres of society. All people shall have equal opportunities to benefit from their own enterprise and to develop their skills irrespective of gender.
Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour oversees equality affairs, e.g. legislation on equal status and equal rights irrespective of gender, equal treatment outside the labour market, equal treatment on the labour market, gender autonomy, as well as the Directorate of Equality, the Gender Equality Complaints Committee and the Gender Equality Fund.
Equality is however a topic that must be considered across all ministries. All ministries are responsible for making equality impact assessments on the issues they oversee. Those assessments are summarised in a report on gender mainstreaming used to highlight challenges and how to address them.
The inaugural Vigdís Prize for Women's Empowerment will be awarded in Strasbourg on June 24th 2024. The Government of Iceland in partnership with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has issued a call for nominations for the award with the deadline set for March 15th 2024.
The 60,000-euro annual prize rewards outstanding initiatives which promote the empowerment of women in all their diversity. Eligible candidates can be individuals or civil society groups.
Further information on the Vigdís Prize and nomination form can be found here
FAQs
Publications
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Iceland has ranked at the top of the WEF Global Gender Gap Index consecutively
for 12 years. Here you can read about the objectives of the Gender Equality Act and
a general overview of the state of
equality affairs in Iceland.
The objective of the Equality Act is to prevent discrimination on the basis of gender and to maintain gender equality and equal opportunities for the genders
in all spheres of society.
An overview of the state of LGBTI affairs, e.g. the right to neutral gender
registration, the right to physical integrity and cooperation agreement with
Samtökin ’78.
Gender statistics are statistics that reflect the differences and inequalities between women and men in all areas of life. Gender statistics allow for a systematic evaluation of gender issues and of inequalities between women and men.
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Icelandic authorities have made various efforts to eliminate discrimination of any type on the labour market, e.g. with legislation and the Equal Pay Certificate.
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The purpose of the obligatory equal pay certification is to enforce the current legislation prohibiting discriminatory practices based on gender.
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Gender budgeting involves combining knowledge about budgeting and gender issues with the aim to encourage cost-effective and equitable distribution of public funds.
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Icelandic participates in various project in the field of equality at the international level e.g. in Nordic- and European cooperation, Generation Equality Forum, and CEDAW.