Delivering their first New Year's addresses
President of Iceland, Halla Tómasdóttir; Kristrún Frostadóttir, the new Prime Minister and Guðrún Karls Helgudóttir, the new Bishop of Iceland. Composite image/nbl.is/Eggert/Karítas
The major changes that have taken place in the country's highest offices this year are newsworthy for many reasons, not least the fact that women now hold the positions of prime minister, president and bishop.
Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir and President Halla Tómasdóttir will deliver their first New Year's addresses to the nation; Kristrún on New Year's Eve and Halla on New Year's Day. Bishop Guðrún Karls Helgudóttir will also deliver her first New Year's sermon in office.
A significant turning point
Erla Hulda Halldórsdóttir, professor of women's and gender history at the University of Iceland, says that this undoubtedly marks a significant turning point in Icelandic history. There are also few precedents among neighboring countries for women holding such positions at the same time. Therefore, this is an important moment in the history of women's rights in Iceland.
Erla Hulda Halldórsdóttir is a professor of women's and gender history at the University of Iceland. mbl.is/Eggert Jóhannesson
"As things were around 1950 and up until 1980, there was nothing to indicate that this would be the situation today. We Icelanders often think that we have been very advanced in equality issues, but that is not the case at all. Although women were granted legal rights early on, there was for the most part a great reluctance to put women in positions of power. From the time Ingibjörg H. Bjarnason entered parliament, it took about 60 years for the number of women in parliament to reach five percent," Halldórsdóttir says in an interview with Morgunblaðið.
She points out that if one asks why women have reached the point they are in today, the myth has long been that it is simply in the nature of Nordic women, who trace their lineage back to the Vikings, to play leadership roles. However, in a historical light, there is no evidence of this, but rather that the success is the result of a tireless fight for equal status for the sexes.
Historian Stefán Pálsson agrees with Erla Huld Halldórsdóttir. María Matthíasdóttir
Historian Stefán Pálsson agrees. He also points out that although the Nordic countries have long prided themselves on their position in gender equality, historically there has been a rich tradition of female leaders in Southeast Asian countries, such as India and Pakistan, where strong female leaders have been in power, even before most Western countries.
They both believe that it is uncertain that the current situation will prevail permanently. But it is positive to see so many women in influential positions, as it serves to counteract the deep-rooted belief of some that women are not as capable leaders as men.
