In an online panel discussion facilitated by Iceland’s ambassador to Canada, Hlynur Guðjónsson, and organized by the Canada-Iceland group, feminist leaders from Iceland outlined their views and roles in the furthering of rights for Icelandic women. Entitled “The Gender Pay Gap and Violence – Two Sides of the Same Coin,” the discussion explored a possible connection between women´s pay inequity and domestic violence.
The seminar was introduced by Canada’s ambassador to Iceland, Jeannette Menzies, and moved quickly to the first speaker from Iceland, Sonja Ýr Þorbergsdóttir, the chairwoman of BSRB, Iceland’s largest federation of public service workers, numbering over 23,000, of which two-thirds are women. She was also the instigator of the Icelandic Women’s Strike in 2023.
We have all read the global comparisons and statistics which put Iceland on top of the pile in women’s rights. I don’t know how others feel, but I’ve always felt quite smug about this, my forebears having immigrated from Iceland. Sonja thinks that is part of the problem. She described the phenomenon as silent backlash that followed the “Me too” movement, and as stagnation with the whole world and some Icelanders feeling self-satisfied with the status of women in their country. She cited the fact that women’s salaries are still down 21 percent from those of men.
Where the progress has been made is in equalizing pay for women doing the same job as male counterparts. The fact remains that many women are in occupations traditionally considered “women’s work” and those occupations are paid lower than male-dominated occupations. Teenage girls, non-binary people, and the disabled have noticeably lower incomes.
Participants in the Women’s Strike believe it’s time to begin the difficult process of equalizing pay across sectors. To do this, it must be determined what the value and difficulty levels of each job is. To me, it seems like a massive undertaking. For Icelanders, possibly not.
Forty percent of Icelandic women and girls experience gender-based violence. Women in Iceland are beginning to see a clear correlation with lower incomes for women. Þorbjörg Sigriður Gunnlaugsdóttir, member of the Icelandic parliament (Alþingi) and a former prosecutor, spoke about the necessity of societal change at the basic level to eradicate gender-based violence. Icelandic women, along with females in many countries, are less likely to be financially independent than males. This situation can easily lead to women’s inability to leave an abusive relationship.
This is a very different way of tackling domestic violence than it is in Canada, and possibly the United States. In many communities in Canada, there are women’s groups providing counselling and safe houses for women and children fleeing abuse in the home. Then, if very “lucky,” the woman can convince the police to bring a case forward. Our focus in Canadian society is on escape and hopeful punishment of the domestic abuser before the court. Iceland is tackling the issue at the other end of the problem – creating social change to improve the status of women.
Þorbjörg said that although the divorce rate is considered high in Iceland, she doesn‘t find that to be a negative. “If women have the financial ability to leave an abusive marriage,” she said, “it should be a good thing.”
As for prosecutions for this violence, Þorbjörg did not have the numbers on hand at the panel. She did say that many cases go unreported to the police, even in the case of rape. Only 18-20 percent of rapes end up in the legal system.
Another issue that has long been prominent in Canada, and has become so in Iceland, is the inequality and abuse of women from non-white cultures. Canadian senator Marilou McPhedran highlighted the major issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, many of whose disappearances have not yet been solved. Iceland is no longer a homogenous society, having changed in a short period of time, due to the refugee situation and immigration.
In many cases the asylum seekers in Iceland rely on Red Cross women’s support groups, which supply lawyers and backing when immigrant women report gender-based violence. However, there are now other ways for them to receive much-needed help following incidents of violence and ways to improve their lives. Agnes Olivia Clarke is an artist, designer, and successful business owner who has lived in Iceland for 30 years. She speaks fluent Icelandic. As a woman of colour, she is a deputy in the Women of Multicultural Ethnicity Network in Iceland, a group which supports the development of financial health for immigrant women. It also supports them in being safe.
Attending this session gave me a lot of food for thought. Women’s focus on pay equity and not on the punishment of violent abusers is so very different than in Canada. Frankly, a victim of domestic violence here faces many hurdles in trying to have a case make it to court and often gets no justice.
Would improving women’s financial health work here? Icelandic women are betting that it will work in Iceland. I wish them success, and I’ll be watching.