Dear Editor,
ICELAND, a country in northern Europe, has made it illegal to pay men more than women.
In the history of women and men’s pay, this is a first. A new law enforcing equal pay between genders came into effect on January 1, 2018, according to a news agency source. Under the legislation, firms that employ more than 25 people are obliged to obtain a government certificate demonstrating pay equality, or they will face fines.

The law was announced on March 8 on International Women’s Day 2017 as part of a drive by the nation to eradicate the gender- pay gap by 2022. According to the Icelandic Women’s Rights Association, the legislation is basically a mechanism that companies and organisations evaluate every job that’s being done, and then they get a certification after they confirm the process, if they are paying men and women equally.

It’s a mechanism to ensure women and men are being paid and respected equally. They have had legislation saying that pay should be equal for men and women for decades now, but they still have a pay gap, as men are paid a higher sum for the same job done. The Nordic country, home to more than 323,000 people, has been ranked the best in the world for gender equality by the World Economic Forum for nine years in a row.

The Global Gender Gap Report evaluates gender equality in a country, using indicators, including economic opportunity, political empowerment, and health and survival. The new legislation was supported by Iceland’s centre-right coalition government, as well as the opposition – nearly 50 per cent of the lawmakers in parliament are women. Can we start having discussions on this vexatious matter in Guyana? Currently, the majority of countries in the world do have about a 16.9% pay gap between men and women.
Regards,
Rooplall Dudhnath