That caught your attention!
But women in Iceland did in fact go on strike back in October 2023, including the Prime Minister herself Katrìn Jakaobsdòttir!
One of the key items Icelandic women were protesting about was the gender pay gap that persistently seems to still exist there, despite Iceland’s best efforts at tackling this issue.
One significant way they have tried to equalise pay between the genders is via legislation. In 2018 it was announced that any business in Iceland with twenty-five or more employees must give equal pay for equal work or they’d get fined.
Interestingly, right now, Iceland’s gender pay gap is much slimmer than any other country in the world. However, today it’s still estimated that for every £1 earned by an Icelandic man, an Icelandic woman will earn 90p. The gender pay gap persists and there is still a disparity.
Today, in the United Kingdom, the gap remains depressingly wide at 9.4% across private and public organisations. This is the same percentage it stood at back in 2017-18 when employers with 250 or more employees were called to provide data to the government and for it to be published publicly.
You might not have 250 odd employees, but you still want to ensure you are a progressive and equal business to work for. It impacts morale, culture, recruitment and retention.
How can you ensure this?
Well, for starters, an annual pay-benchmarking process should already be firmly established within your organisation, ensuring fair pay for fair work, whatever your gender, and whoever you are.
In addition, it might be an opportunity to look at - or revisit - creating an action plan and/ or policies that will help improve gender equality in your workplace culture.
Having these in place will help with recruitment and retention of staff, as values of being fair and equitable will attract the best people to you. As we know, people are your greatest asset.
If you need advice about pay-benchmarking, gender-gap reporting or implementing action plans and policies then do reach out for a chat on 0330 043 0897 or email laura@taurushr.co.uk