Iceland Plans To Become World's First Country To Require Equal Pay For Women

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When it comes to equal pay for women Iceland is the top country in the world. Iceland's Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson says that gender equality benefits all of us. The Prime Minister made the statement on International Women's Day as Iceland's government works on a law that requires companies to show that they pay men and women the same salary for the same type of work. Benediktsson discussed Iceland's plan in New York City, where he attended an International Women's Day Summit along with other meetings last week. It is believed that this law will be the first of its kind at a national level, and would apply to all companies that have more than 25 employees. Participating companies would have to undergo certification every three years to ensure that their pay policies follow all the rules. He said that there is a standard that the country has already taken up, but that not all companies are following it. To compare, in the United States attempts that have been made to close the wage gap have had some success, but the wage gap remains quite high. Iceland is one of the several countries who has stepped up their contributions to groups that work on behalf of women's sexual and reproductive health, such as the United Nations, Population Fund and She Decides.

International Women's Day happens on March 08 of every year. International Women's Day means different things to different people, but the global focus of the day is on equality and celebration. Throughout both ancient and modern history, women have collaborated and lead purposeful action to address inequality in the hopes of creating a better future for their children, communities, and themselves. Whether those actions were bold well-documented actions or through more humble resistance and action that might not have made it into the history books but women have long united for both equality and achievement. International Women's Day is a celebration that happens yearly of these achievements that started in the early 1900's, and it is a celebration of continuing strides for women's rights and achievements. The first officially named International Women's Day event was held in 1911. And to this day, International Women's Day continues to be a powerful and inspiring platform around the world that unifies the tenacity and helps to drive action for gender parity along with celebrating the economic, social, cultural, and political achievements of women.

The ten International Women's Day values include justice, dignity, hope, equality, collaboration, tenacity, appreciation, respect, empathy, and forgiveness. Equality means ensuring that people have equal opportunities to make the most of their lives and their talents. Equality also means that no one has poorer life chances because of their background or status. This is the very core of International Women's Day. Gender equality refers to women be able to receive and access the same opportunities and benefits as men do. Throughout history, women were considered to have no place in politics and could not stand as candidates for Parliament. Women weren't always allowed to vote as it was assumed that their husbands would take all of the responsibility for political matters because a woman's role was seen to be in the home and taking care of the children. And while women's equality still has a way to go, it has made huge leaps and bounds to get where it is today.

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