Gender Equality

Information about the status of gender equality the West Nordic region.

Denmark

Denmark was number 23 on the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report in 2023, in contrast to other West Nordic and Nordic countries that topped the list. There is a widespread myth in Denmark that it is a pioneering country with a high degree of gender equality. However, women in Denmark still face countless barriers both structurally and in everyday life.

Here below are a few resources to understand the status of women and gender equality in Denmark.

Ligestillingsredegørelser. Ministry of the Environment and Gender Equality. In Danish.
Government equality reports for Denmark, published every three years at municipal, regional and state level.

Everyday sexism project. In Danish.
A website documenting accounts and experiences with sexism in Denmark.

Faroe Islands

A large study published in 2023 shows that on the Faroe Islands women and men disagree on most issues regarding gender equality. There is a gap between the genders in terms of perceptions, experiences and viewpoints on equality.

Here below are a few resources to understand the status of women and gender equality in the Faroe Islands.

Women’s rights – at a glance. Javnstøðunevndin. In English.
Pamphlet published by the Faroese Equal Status Council about women’s rights.

Gender, equality and equal rights: What do Faroese people think? A survey on attitudes toward gender equality on the Faroe Islands. Hayfield, Albinus and í Skorini. 2023. In Faroese
Large academic survey on gender equality on the Faroe Islands and Faroese peoples opinion on gender equality

The Faroese Equal Status Council. In Faroese and English.
The website of the Faroese Equal Status Council, with articles on gender equality in Faroese and English. 

Greenland

Here below are a few resources to understand the status of women and gender equality in Greenland.

The Equality Council of Greenland 
The Equality Council is tasked with promoting equality between men and women in Greenlandic society.

Examining Gender Equality in Greenland in the Last Thirty Years: An Investigation through the Lens of the CEDAW Convention’s Examinations. Siff Lund Kjærgaard. Sibirica: Interdisciplinary Journal of Siberian Studies, 2023. In English. 
This article analyses gender equality in Greenland through investigating documents related to the CEDAW Committee’s examinations.

Inatsisartutlov nr. 3 af 29. november 2013 om ligestilling af mænd og kvinder. In Danish. 
Greenlandic legislation on the equality between men and women, published at the website of the Greenlandic Equality Council.

Indigenous peoples in Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland). Qivioq Løvstrøm. IWGIA, 2022. In English. 
Article by Qivioq Løvstrøm, chair of the Human Rights Council of of Greenland, on the status of women in Greenland.

Kend de grønlandske kvinders historie. Video from Visit Greenland. In Greenlandic and English.
A short video describing the status and history of women in Greenland for the past hundred years.

Iceland

Iceland has topped the World Economic Forum‘s Global Gender Gap Index since 2009, but this does not mean that Iceland is a gender equal country. Women in Iceland still face many challenges in achieving equal status in various sectors of society.

Here below are a few resources to understand the status of women and gender equality in Iceland.

Equality. The Government of Iceland. In English.
A website maintained by the government of Iceland with information about the status of gender equality in Iceland and links to current legislation.

Women’s History. The Women’s History Archives. In English.
The English-language website of the Women’s History Archives in Iceland, with information about the history of women’s suffrage, the Women’s Strike and other aspects of feminist history in Iceland.