Yesterday, the International Economic Conference ranked Iceland as the best country in the world in terms of gender equality.
The International Gender Transformation Report 2021 is the fifteenth annual edition of the current study reflecting economic participation, educational opportunities, political empowerment and women’s health.
Iceland is ranked just above Finland, Norway, New Zealand and Sweden, where Syria, Pakistan, Iraq, Yemen and Afghanistan are the bottom five nations 156 studied.
This is the twelfth year in a row that Iceland tops the table Fréttablaðið, and this year Iceland’s score in the points evaluation system was slightly higher than last year.
There is still work to be done
“Of course it is good news that we are back on top, but that does not mean that gender equality has been achieved,” said Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir to Fréttablaðið. “It is our responsibility as a leading country to do even better and set a good example.”
This is the first measurement made since the advent of the coronary virus and shows that the pandemic has had a negative effect on the global gender gap. This is due in part to the widespread tradition of women taking more responsibility for household chores and childcare in the home, and that women are more likely to work in jobs outside the home that are most affected by the pandemic.
Although the report does not cover domestic violence, Katrín Jakobsdóttir took the opportunity to incorporate the material into something that directly affects the position of women in society – and has also been affected by the pandemic.
“Pandemic measures have in fact increased unpaid work that women do in caring for the home and children, and we are seeing an increase in domestic violence around the world,” Katrín told Fréttablaðið.
The road ahead
Although the World Economic Council estimates that the end of the global gender gap will take 135 years at the current rate of change, Katrín Jakobsdóttir aims for Iceland to achieve the United Nations goal of full equality between men and women by 2030.
“It’s a lot of unfinished business,” said Katrín. “It is our role to create a butterfly effect and to encourage the nations of the world to accelerate their efforts to achieve full equality.”
You can also get regular news from Iceland – including the latest announcements about eruptions as soon as they happen – by subscribing to our newsletter.
Source: The Nordic Page