Is Iceland the gender-equality haven for women it seems to be?

BBC World Service

10 Dec 2024  #womensrights #iceland #BBCWorldService

A special report for BBC 100 Women asks: Is Iceland the best place in the world to be a woman? 

https://youtu.be/h26Qjo4KKBw?si=_BIvNa734P16Li00

The country tops world rankings when it comes to gender parity: parental leave conditions are so good that nearly 90% of working-age women have jobs, and progressive teaching methods aim at reversing gender stereotypes. 

But it is also a country with persistently high rates of gender-based violence: about 40% of women subjected to physical and sexual violence – significantly higher than the global average. 

Is Iceland the gender equality paradise it is branded to be?

00:00 Introduction

01:30 A nursery that turns gender stereotypes on their head

05:44 A rock school for women and non-binary people aimed at closing the gender gap in music

07:33 Gender equality in the workplace: What does that look like in the film industry?

09:14 How parental leave helps women balance family life with their careers

12:45 How labour unions in Iceland fight for women

14:30 The strike in 1975 that propelled Iceland to the forefront of the fight for equality

15:07 Meeting Iceland’s female president, who says Iceland is one of the best places in the world to be a woman

16:50 Is everything as perfect as it seems?

17:08 A survivor of gender-based violence says Iceland is not women’s paradise

18:53 The women who are suing the Icelandic government

20:11 A shelter for women fleeing domestic violence

22:38 A vigil for women who have been killed by men

23:54 When will Iceland fully close its gender gap?