Equal Pay and the Labor Market

Information about the status of equal pay and the labor market in the West Nordic region.

Denmark

In Denmark, the Equal Pay Act was adopted in 1976 and, like the EU directive from 1975, the act must ensure that all genders have the right to equal pay for work of equal value. In 2023, the pay gap in Denmark was 12.4%, according to Statistics Denmark.

Here below are a few resources to understand equal pay and the labor market in Denmark.

Diversitetsbarometer. In Danish.
An annual survey of gender diversity and equality in the Danish labor market.

Ligestilling. Statistics Denmark. In Danish.
Statistics about pay and equality from Statistics Denmark.

Forældreskabets konsekvenser for indkomsten. DM. 2020. In Danish.
Analysis made by the DM trade union of what affects becoming a parent has on women’s income.

The Faroe Islands

In the Faroe Islands, women generally hold lower positions, have lower education levels, and work more part-time compared to men. Women’s wages do not increase as quickly as men’s wages, and when we become parents, the income gap between women and men becomes even larger. A significant figure in the fight for equal pay was the union leader Andrea Árting.

Here below are a few resources to understand equal pay and the labor market in the Faroe Islands.

“Gender segregation in the periphery – The Faroe Islands as a case in point” by Erika Anne Hayfield. In Lyck, Lise, ed., Hvordan sikres bæredygtige arbejdsmarkeder i Nordens yderområder. 2016. In English.
Academic article about gender segregation on the labour market on the Faroe Islands.

Part-Time Work in the Nordic Region III – An introductory study of the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland Islands. Erika Anne Hayfield, Rógvi Olavson and Lív Patursson. Nordic Council of Ministers. 2016. In English.
An introductory study of part-time work in the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland Islands.

“Do women and men receive the same pay from the public sector, and do children have any impact on the wages of women in the public labour market?”. Jón Joensen. Statistics Faroes. 2009. In Faroese.
A study on equal pay on the Faroe Islands and whether having children affects the wages of women in the public sector.

“Our Neighbouring Countries”. The Faroese Equal Status Council. 2019. In Faroese.
A short article about the status of the Faroe Islands regarding the Global Gender Gap Index

Greenland

Here below are a few resources to understand equal pay and the labor market in Greenland.

Equality in Isolated Labour Markets. Equal opportunities for men and women in geographically isolated labour markets in Læsø (DK), Suðuroy (FO), and Narsaq (GL). Helene Pristed Nielsen, Erika Anne Hayfield, Steven Arnfjord. 2020. In English.
This report focuses on people living and working in geographically relatively isolated areas of the Nordic region, and how questions of gender equality impact on work and family life decisions.

Iceland

Icelandic women have gone on strike seven times for equal pay, in 1975, 1985, 2005, 2010, 2016, 2018 and 2023, but the gender pay gap is persistent. Several tools to combat the gender pay gap have been adopted in Iceland, most recently the Equal Pay Standard.

Here below are a few resources to understand equal pay and the labor market in Iceland.

Equality in the Labor Market. The Government of Iceland. In English.
Website maintained by the government of Iceland about current legislation about equality in the labor market.

Looking for information about equal pay in Iceland? All about the Equal Pay Standard. Icelandic Women’s Rights Association, 2018. In English.
A short article describing the history of equal pay in Iceland and introducing the equal pay standard.

Equal Pay Certification. The Directorate of Equality. In English.
Website of Directorate of Equality giving information about the Equal Pay Standard and how it is implemented in Iceland.

The Women’s Strike. Kvennafrí 2023. In English.
Women have gone on strike in Iceland seven times since 1975. This is the official website of the strike.

Rights of women and gender equality with regard to pay, treatment at work, labour market and career opportunities in Iceland. European Parliament, 2021. In English.
A brief prepared for the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality at the European Parliament on the rights of women and gender equality in the labor market in Iceland.

Labor Market. Statistics Iceland. In English.
Website maintained by Statistics Iceland with key figures about women and men in the labor market in Iceland in 2018.

Job Evaluation Report of the Task Force on Pay Equity and Equality in the Labour Market. Prime Minister’s Office, Iceland, 2024. In English.
Report written by a working group tasked with comparing pay evaluation systems to achieve pay equity across the world, proposing and piloting a system in Iceland.

Job evaluation system to promote pay equity. Jafnlaunastofa, 2024. In English.
A job evaluation system prepared for the Task Force on Pay Equity and Equality in the Labour Market.