Reykjavík Grapevine - 07.04.2017, Blaðsíða 16

Mind The Gap
The Future Is Female

Words: Joanna Smith
Photos: Art Bicnick
NEWS After new legislation aimed
at eradicating the gender wage
gap was implemented last month,
two women discuss their experi-
ences in the workplace in Iceland,
and how making wages public re-
ally does make a difference.
Being a woman in Iceland is pretty
good: the nation is a female para-
dise in comparison to many other
countries. But—and here’s the im-
portant part—it still isn’t as good
as being a man in Iceland. As little
as fifty years ago, just getting a sti-
lettoed foot in the door of a board-
room or lab or parliament building
was considered a victory. But now,
women are no longer happy to be
simply included, no longer content
with just playing
on the same field as
the men. The field
needs to be a level
one. And this starts
with wages. Ac-
cording to Iceland’s
Ministry of Welfare,
women in Iceland
earned on average
7%-18% less than
men. After years
of campaigning by
feminist groups, pol-
iticians in Iceland have finally
implemented legislation to force
businesses to publish their wages,
proving employees are paid equal-
ly. I spoke with two women—Lára
Björg Björnsdóttir, businesswoman
and journalist, and Kolbrún Bene-
diktsdóttir, district prosecutor—to
discuss their thoughts on this leg-
islation and what it is like to be a
woman in the Icelandic workplace.
The secrecy of wages
On the surface, both women have
quite similar situations. They’re
both at the top of their profession, of
similar ages, with children. And yet,
their experience in the workplace
has been quite different. For most
of her career, Lára has worked in
the private sector, where wages are
somewhat subject to the whims of
a free market. And, “in the majority
of places I’ve worked,” she told me,
“I’ve had male co-workers who earn
more than me. And I know that for
a fact.” Kolbrún, who works in the
public sector, has found the oppo-
site: in an environment where wag-
es are decided by committees and
are publically available for anyone
to see, she’s never
been aware of earn-
ing less than a male
peer, because the
threat of public
scrutiny holds em-
ployers to account.
People often feel
the need to keep
quiet about how
much they’re paid.
“I’ve never under-
stood this secrecy,”
Kolbrun told me.
“It’s never been a secret for me, how
much I get paid. Of course it’s im-
portant for companies to be able to
pull up the wages of people who have
earned it, but if you have a valid rea-
son for it then you shouldn’t need to
keep it a secret.” Perhaps the stigma
around talking about salaries has
been allowed to flourish for the
very fact that it allows employers
to pay women less. Lára certainly
thinks so: “Employers who say you
can’t talk about your pay, that’s just
a tool to keep a lid on everything.”
The wage gap affects
the workplace
The wage gap is a practical injustice,
but it is also an injustice in princi-
ple. Not only is there physically less
money in women’s pockets, but it’s
symbolic of a society that considers
women less valuable than men. With
this in mind, I asked both women if
they had ever experienced sexism
in the workplace. Lára’s eyes lit up
fiercely as she said immediately, “I
own my own company, I have fifteen
years experience in writing, I have
written a book… and I still have cli-
ents ask, ‘Do you have experience in
that?’—and we’re talking seriously
simple tasks. Would a forty-year-old
man with my CV ever be asked that?”
Kolbrún, who claims she has never
been paid less than a man doing the
same work, struggled to recall any
instances of sexism. It is hardly sur-
prising to me that a workplace with
a genderless wage system such as
hers also has a respectful work en-
vironment. Employers that respect
their staff, encourage staff to re-
spect each other. It’s pretty simple.

Is the future female?
In many ways, the very nature of
Lára and Kolbrún’s experiences
prove that the act of publishing
wages, which will now be com-
pulsory across the country, makes
a considerable difference to the
wage gap. Not only does it imply
that the wage gap will be lowered
considerably, but it implies that
we will, in time, see a less sex-
ist, more respectful workplace.
I asked both women: “Is the
future female?” Kolbrún contem-
plated for a while and with a steely
look said, “A lot has changed, but
we have to be aware that we’re not
there yet, we can’t get complacent.”
And with that same look, Lára re-
sponded: “I think the young women
today are great. I have a lot of faith
in them, they speak up. And the guys
too. I have faith in the young people.”
Reading this back makes me smile,
because realism plus optimism and
determination is the perfect recipe
for change. One thing’s for sure—one
day, being a woman in Iceland will be
just as good as being a man in Iceland,
and with these women at the top, that
day is getting closer and closer.
16 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 05 — 2017
Kolbrún Benediktsdóttir is one of the
country's top prosecutors, working primarily
in the Department of Sexual Offences.
Lára Björg Björnsdóttir, who
made her name in journalism,
now co-owns a consultancy
business, “Suðvestur,” with her
two sisters
“Women are no
longer happy to be
simply included,
no longer content
with just playing
on the same field
as the men. The
field needs to be a
level one.”
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