Skip to main content

Gender and Leadership in Iceland: The Journey to the Top of the Global Gender Gap Index

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Demystifying Leadership in Iceland

Part of the book series: Contributions to Management Science ((MANAGEMENT SC.))

  • 641 Accesses

Abstract

The fact that Iceland has been acknowledged at the top of the Global Gender Gap Index for 7 consecutive years has raised interest not only among scholars and practitioners but also the media. A range of documentaries has been produced, and international periodicals such as the Guardian, Al Jazeera, Reuters, BBC, Washington Post, and others have covered the story on why this is the case. In this chapter, Icelandic society’s impressive journey to the top of the Global Gender Gap Index is described.

…I think there is something that is very distinct about Iceland which makes the society flat in general … there is no Mr. and Mrs.

Anonymous interviewee

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 69.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 89.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Arnardottir AA, Sigurjonsson TO (2017) Gender diversity on boards in Iceland: pathway to gender quota law following a financial crisis. In: Seierstad C, Gabaldon P, Mensi-Klarbach H (eds) Gender diversity in the boardroom. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, pp 75–101

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Association of Women Business Leaders in Iceland (FKA) (2018) Félag kvenna atvinnurekstri. http://fka.is/. Accessed 29 Apr 2018

  • Jafnréttisstofa (2012) Information on gender equality issues in Iceland

    Google Scholar 

  • Labour force participation rate indicator (2018) OECD Publishing. Accessed 29 Apr 2018

    Google Scholar 

  • Marinósdóttir M, Erlingsdóttir R (2017) This is why Iceland ranks first for gender equality. World Econ Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/11/why-iceland-ranks-first-gender-equality/. Accessed 29 Apr 2018

  • Rafnsdóttir GL, Þorvaldsdóttir M (2012) Kynjakvótar og mögulegar hindranir á leið kvenna til æðstu stjórnunar. Íslenska þjóðfélagið 3(1):57–76

    Google Scholar 

  • Snaebjornsson IM (2016) “President Vigdís”: the end and the beginning of women’s agenda in Iceland. In: Erçetin ŞŞ (ed) Women leaders in chaotic environments. Springer, Cham, pp 35–47

    Google Scholar 

  • Snorradóttir Á, Rafnsdottir GL, Tómasson K, Vilhjálmsson R (2014) Lay off: the experience of women and men in Iceland’s financial sector. Work 47(2):183–191

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Snorrason JS (2012) Yfirlit um stöðu og áhrif jafnari kynjahlutfalla við stjórnun og í stjórnum fyrirtækja. Stjórnmál Stjórnsýsla 1(8):93–107

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • The Gender Representation in Leadership Positions (2017) https://www.statice.is/publications/iceland-in-figures/. Accessed 29 Apr 2018

  • Unempoyment rate (2018) https://www.statice.is/publications/news-archive/labour-market/labour-market-statistics-4th-quarter-2017/. Accessed 29 Apr 2018

  • World Economic Forum (2017) The global gender gap report 2017. Switzerland, Geneva

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Minelgaite, I., Guðmundsdóttir, S., Guðmundsdóttir, Á.E., Stangej, O. (2018). Gender and Leadership in Iceland: The Journey to the Top of the Global Gender Gap Index. In: Demystifying Leadership in Iceland. Contributions to Management Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96044-9_9

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics