Iceland elects Europe’s first Women-majority Parliament

• 27 Sep 2021

• Iceland has become the first country in Europe to have more women than men in Parliament.
• Of the 63 seats in the Althing parliament, 33 were won by women, or 52%.
• No other European country has had more than 50% women lawmakers, with Sweden coming closest at 47%, according to data compiled by the World Bank.
• Around the world, five other countries currently have Parliaments where women hold at least half the seats, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union: Rwanda (61%), Cuba (53%), Nicaragua (51%) and Mexico and the United Arab Emirates (50%).
• Unlike some other countries, Iceland does not have legal quotas on female representation in Parliament, though some parties do require a minimum number of candidates be women.
• The Nordic country has long been a pioneer in gender equality and women’s rights, and has topped the World Economic Forum’s ranking of most egalitarian countries for the past 12 years.
• Iceland was the first country to elect a woman as President in 1980.

Source: The Hindu