The gender wage gap is a real thing we’ve all faced at our workplace. Nobody is safe from the clutches of patriarchy holding our country by the throat. Bollywood actresses like Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra are payed significantly less than their male co-stars, “My male counterparts are paid thrice the amount. No one can guarantee the success of a film so why such discrimination?” said Kangana Ranaut. Women make 25% less than men in the Indian workforce said the Monster Salary Index 2016. Sounds terrifying, doesn’t it? However, there is one country on earth that has made the decision to fix the wage gap once and for all.
After nine years of being the most gender-equal country, Iceland has officially declared that it is mandatory to have an equal pay. In other words, it is illegal to pay women less than men for the same job from January 1st, 2018. Can you hear the angels singing? It’s a Christmas miracle!
Actress and activist Patricia Arquette actively fought for fair pay and passage of The Equal Rights Amendment! “We need to make sure that men and women enjoy equal opportunity in the workplace, It is our responsibility to take every measure to achieve that.” Thorsteinn Viglundsson, Iceland’s Equality and Social Affairs Minister, said in March 2017, back when the law was first announced. He said, “History has shown that if you want progress, you need to enforce it. You have to dare to take new steps, to be bold in the fight against injustice.” Employers who have more than 25 employees should obtain a government certification of their equal-pay policies. If they fail, however, they will face fine penalties.
Iceland has become the first country in the world to make this change, and here is hoping that the idea soon seeps into our country. U. S. Senator Bernie Sanders was in awe of this huge leap towards women’s rights taken by Iceland and posted on Facebook saying, “We must follow the example of our brothers and sisters in Iceland and demand equal pay for equal work now, regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexuality or nationality. As we fight back Republican efforts to revert women’s rights to second-class, it is important to not lose sight that our real goal is to move forward and expand women’s rights.”
Iceland believes that they will successfully get rid of the gender wage gap completely by 2022. Fingers crossed!