Iceland Makes Companies Prove They’re Not Paying Women Less<br />REYKJAVIK, Iceland — Iceland this week began putting in place a new law<br />that requires companies and government agencies to prove they are paying men and women equally, positioning the country at the forefront of global efforts to minimize gender inequality.<br />While Iceland has had equal pay laws in place since 1961, the new standard is seen as the first time<br />that the small and prosperous nation of about 340,000 has put in place specific steps to try to force companies to eliminate pay gaps.<br />Icelandic law since 2013 requires private companies with more than 50 employees to have at least 40 percent women — or men — on their executive board.<br />In Iceland, women earned 14 percent to 20 percent less than men, according to government figures for 2015.<br />“But this is a legally binding tool kit.”<br />For wage equality, Iceland ranked fifth in the report, which said<br />that globally, the average pay for women in 2017 was $12,000, compared with $21,000 for men.
