Stepping stones:
1850 Equal inheritance rights for men and women
1882 Widows and single women gain local suffrage
1886 Girls can enter secondary school
1900 Married women gain the right to control their income and personal property
1907 Icelandic Women’s Rights Association founded
1908 Women gain local suffrage and the right to hold local office
1908 The first women’s list participates in local elections in Reykjavik
1911 Women get equal rights to grants, study and civil service
1914 First women workers’ association founded
1915 Women over the age of 40 gain national suffrage and the right to hold office
1920 All women gain national suffrage and the right to hold office
1921 New marital law guarantees equality for spouses
1922 The first woman elected to the Icelandic Parliament
1926 The first Icelandic woman defends a doctoral thesis
1957 The first female mayor in an Icelandic municipality
1961 Equal Pay Act approved by parliament
1970 First female Cabinet Minister
1975 Women nationwide take a day off on October 24th
1976 The first Gender Equality Act and the Gender Equality Council is appointed
1980 The first nationally elected female president in the world
1982 The Women’s Alliance runs for the first time in local elections
1983 The Women’s Alliance runs in parliamentary elections for the first time
1985 The Women's Day Off is repeated for the second time
1995 Equal rights of women and men stated in the constitution
1997 Fathers get an independent right to two weeks paid parental leave
2000 Fathers get an independent right to three months of paid parental leave
2005 The Women's Day Off is repeated for the third time
2009 The first female prime minister in Iceland
2009 The first government with equal number of men and women
2009 Legislation banning the purchasing of prostitution is approved by parliament
2010 The Women's Day Off is repeated for the third time
2010 A full ban on strip clubs approved by parliament
2010 A law on gender quota on company boards
2010 A single marriage act is approved
2011 Legislation permits removal of perpetrator of domestic violence from domicile
2011 A law on gender quota on boards of Pension Funds
2012 First female bishop in Iceland
2015 The 100 anniversary of women’s suffrage in Iceland / 100 anniversary of women’s civil rights in Iceland
2016 The Women's Day Off is repeated for the fourth time
2017 Equal pay certification legalised
2018 The Women's Day Off is repeated for the fifth time
2018 Equal treatment act regardless of race and ethnic origin
2018 Act on equal treatment of individuals in the labor market regardless of race, ethnic origin, religion, philosophy of life, disability, impaired working capacity, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender identity or sexual expression
*Last edited on 11 june 2020