MASTERCLASS: Advancing Gender Equality in Leadership,

Iceland ranks among the most gender-equal countries in the world, with near parity in political representation. According to the World Economic Forum, Iceland has led the Global Gender Gap Index for 16 editions and is the only economy that has closed the gap by over 90% to date.  However, women remain underrepresented in executive business leadership and investment decision-making and still we face severe challenges when it comes to gender-based violence and harassment.

In this Masterclass on advancing gender equality in politics, administration and business, we will gain insight into how feminist political leadership can integrate gender equality across sectors, as illustrated by the experience of Iceland’s former Prime Minister. We will learn about what structural changes are needed in policy making to advance gender equality in different sectors. We will also learn about the obstacles and challenges that are still there, even in Iceland which is so close to closing the gender gap. We will talk about the difference between politics, public administration and the private sector when it comes to female leadership. There will be discussions on different strategies to advance gender equality in different sectors and sharing of experiences regarding women in leadership roles.

We will look into the Reykjavík Index for Leadership, research conducted by Verian in partnership with the Reykjavik Global Forum (RGF), which has measured perceived legitimacy of male and female leadership across twenty professions. The index reflects the views of more than 35,000 people, across both the G7 and G20 nations, as well as Iceland, Australia, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Poland, Singapore, Spain etc.

The goal is to understand the interplay of policy, leadership, and culture in shaping gender equality outcomes and explore strategies for increasing diversity in leadership and decision-making roles.

In the masterclass Katrín Jakobsdóttir, former prime minister of Iceland (2017-2024) and now a member of the board of Reykjavík Global Forum, will talk about her experience of leading through crisis and how gender equality was always central in policy making during that time. She will also present successful gender equality policies from Iceland and other countries and the obstacles that seem to be universal when it comes to gender equality. There will be an open discussion between participants to share experiences and learn from each other.