Iceland ranked number one in the world for gender equality by the World Economic Forum when the country was in the midst of its worst economic crisis, but as a new government comes into power, the United Nations Working Group is urging the new leaders to sustain its efforts and continue to close the gender gaps in employment and violence.
The United Nations reports that persistent gaps remain in both employment and gender based violence, and the U.N. Working Group states that in both areas there are still problems in the implementation of the laws meant to close those gaps.
While a law related to equal pay for equal work was enacted in 1961, the gender pay gap hasn’t disappeared. Women hold a very small percentage of business leadership positions. Furthermore, the Group reports that “women do not have sufficient trust in the system to seek redress for violations of their rights.”
The U.N. Working Group not only urged the new Icelandic government to sustain its efforts in closing the gender gap but also called for the government to pass additional discrimination laws and “to provide adequate support for organizations which enable persons of foreign origin, particularly women, to participate fully in economic, social, public, and political life.”
You can read more details by following the link above to the U.N. News Center.
Susan Gunelius
Susan Gunelius is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Women on Business. She is a 30-year veteran of the marketing field and has authored a dozen books about marketing, branding, and social media, including the highly popular Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing, 30-Minute Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing for Dummies, Blogging All-in-One for Dummies and Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps. Susan’s marketing-related content can be found on Entrepreneur.com, Forbes.com, MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, and more. Susan is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She has worked in corporate marketing roles and through client relationships with AT&T, HSBC, Citibank, Intuit, The New York Times, Cox Communications, and many more large and small companies around the world. Susan also speaks about marketing, branding and social media at events around the world and is frequently interviewed by television, online, radio, and print media organizations about these topics. She holds an MBA in Management and Strategy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and is a Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).
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I had no idea Iceland was and is so advanced and this article inspired me to learn more and also to integrate what makes Iceland so progressive. I would love to learn more about gender equality and hope catalyze the respect for women on every level for business and the evolution of best practices and innovation in all cultures.
Thank you so much!