FAQ
Companies and institutions with 25 or more employees in principle per annum shall set themselves a gender equality plan or mainstream gender equality perspectives into their personnel policy. This shall specifically include, i.e., a statement of objectives and a plan of how they are to be achieved in order to guarantee the employees the rights set out in Articles 6–14 in the Act on Equal Status and Equal Rights Irrespective of Gender.
The Gender Equality Council is a gender equality consultation platform. The council shall be assembled at least once a year and shall include representatives of the social partners, the academic community and gender equality organisations working within the provisions of Act No. 150/2020. The role of the consultation platform is to act in an advisory role for the Minister’s professional policy-making on issues relating to gender equality.
Individuals, enterprises, institutions and non-governmental organizations, either in their own name or on behalf of their members who consider that they are the victims of violations of one of the following acts, may submit their case to the Gender Equality Complaints Committee.
By a constitutional amendment attested by the Danish King on 19 June 1915, Icelandic women were granted the right to vote and eligibility to stand for election, but it was restricted to women 40 years or older while men at the age of 25 were able to vote. The age requirement was then to be lowered by one year each year until it reached 25 years after 15 years. With the Act of Union between Denmark and Iceland, which was approved in a national referendum in 1918 and ratified by the parliaments of both countries, the citizenship rights of the two nations were equalized. As a result, the age restrictions on the voting rights of women were abolished by Laws No. 9 and 12 of May 18, 1920. It was therefore in 1920 that women first achieved full equality with men in these matters.
Here you can access historical facts about gender equality in Iceland:
Auður Auðuns was the first female minister in Iceland. She was appointed as Minister of Justice and Religion in 1970 and served for 1 year.