Striving for Equality: The Icelandic Journey Towards Social Justice

Equality is not a concept. It is not something we should strive for. It is a necessity. Equality is like gravity. We need it to exist as men and women on this earth, and the misogyny that exists in every culture is not a true part of the human condition. Life is out of balance, and that imbalance sucks something out of the soul of every man and woman who is confronted with it. We need equality. Somehow, now. ― Joss Whedon

Propounded by the American philosopher John Rawls, equality is the idea of ensuring that every individual gets access to the same opportunities to make the most of their lives and talents. It is also the belief that no one should have poorer life chances because of the way they were born, where they come from, what they believe, or whether they have a disability. However, equality does not merely mean putting everyone in the same box. It respects the differences and accepts every individual as they are.

 Equality also recognises that historically certain groups of people with protected characteristics such as nationality, race, disability, gender and sexual orientation have experienced discrimination and works towards providing reparation through policies like reservation that helps them gain an equal footing in society. 

Equality in Iceland

Today we can say that equality in the world may not be a truth, but it is certainly a goal we are all working towards. To check the reality, organisations such as the World Economic Forum, the United Nations, etc. World rankings based on various equality indicators to measure each country's performance.

For the citizens of Iceland, it is a source of pride and honour to be ranked at the top of the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index for the ninth year in a row, since 2008. Financial independence is the key to women's liberation, and the fact that the country has now been at the top of the Gender Equality Index for almost a decade without interruption is a confirmation of the successes that have been achieved recently in promoting equality in Iceland and an incentive to continue working towards full equality of status, influence and power between men and women in the country.

Gender equality in Iceland was not achieved in a day. It took years of struggle and continuous effort by some very strong women who refused to give up, together with their male allies.

Iceland's religious diversity ended with the advent of Christianity, when the various groups of gods and goddesses were replaced by a monolithic god. Women were no longer considered “good enough” to publicly represent God, and they were also denied the right to vote. While women continued to protest for equality in Iceland, the situation persisted until a critical mass of educated women broke through the glass ceiling and made their way through forbidden territories during the Second Feminist Wave in the 1960s and the issue of equality in Iceland began to influence the country’s politics.

According to Magnea Marinosdottir and Rosa Erlingsdottir from the Icelandic Ministry of Welfare, "...the gradual progress is primarily due to the solidarity of women human rights activists who challenge and protest against the monopoly of power in the hands of men and the power of men over women. The success is due to women taking power and creating alternatives to the male-dominated ‘truths’ and making visible the invisible realities of women.

Gender equality is the key to a community's prosperity. In this case, Iceland is definitely a pioneer for the world.

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