Society & Equality

A Unique Society

Iceland is a fascinatingly peculiar society — and Icelanders are proud of it. With only 390,000 inhabitants (fewer than Wuppertal!), practically everyone knows everyone, and society operates by its own rules:

Equality — World Champion for Over a Decade

According to the Global Gender Gap Report by the World Economic Forum, Iceland is the most gender-equal country in the world — continuously ranked 1st for over a decade. This is no coincidence:

• 1975: The "Women's Day Off" (Kvennafrídagurinn): On October 24, 1975, 90% of Icelandic women went on strike — they did not go to work, cook, or supervise children. The country literally came to a standstill. Schools closed, factories stopped, men had to take their children to work (the day became the "Long Friday" for men). The strike was a turning point and electrified the equality movement worldwide
• 1980: Iceland elects Vigdís Finnbogadóttir as president — the first democratically elected female president in the world. She remained in office for 16 years (4 terms) and became an icon
• 2010: Iceland bans strip clubs — the first country in the world to do so for feminist reasons (not religious ones)
• 2018: Iceland introduces the world's first law for equal pay for equal work. Companies with 25+ employees must prove they pay men and women equally — otherwise, they face penalties
• Parental Leave: 6 months for each parent (non-transferable!) + 6 weeks together. Fathers actually take their parental leave — over 90% of Icelandic fathers go on parental leave

The Naming System — No Surnames

Icelanders do not have surnames in the European sense. Instead, they carry patronyms (or since 2019 also matronyms): The last name is the first name of the father (or mother) + "son" (son) or "dóttir" (daughter).

Example: Björk's full name is Björk Guðmundsdóttir — "Björk, daughter of Guðmundur". Her son is named Sindri Eldon Þórsson — he has a completely different "last name". Siblings can have different "last names" if they choose a patronym and a matronym.

Consequences of this system:

• In the Icelandic phone book, all entries are sorted by first name — a "Pétursson" doesn't help when there are hundreds of them
• Everyone is addressed by their first name — even the president, the prime minister, and your doctor
• Since 2019, there is the option to use the gender-neutral suffix "bur" instead of "son"/"dóttir"
• There is an official naming committee (Mannanafnanefnd) that must approve new first names — they must be declinable in Icelandic and conform to the language's phonetic rules

No Army

Iceland has no army of its own — the only NATO member without one. The Coast Guard (Landhelgisgæslan) with only 3 ships handles security tasks and "won" the Cod Wars against the British Royal Navy. Iceland relies on NATO's collective defense. The defense budget is instead invested in education and health.

Huldufólk — Elves and Hidden People

Surveys show that an astonishingly high proportion of Icelanders (estimates vary between 10% and 54%, depending on the question) do not categorically rule out the existence of Huldufólk (hidden people/elves). Whether this is meant seriously or is typical Icelandic dry humor remains open to interpretation. The fact is:

• Road construction projects have been rerouted or postponed to avoid "elf stones" (large rocks where Huldufólk are said to live) — most recently in 2013 during the construction of a road in Álftanes
• There was an official elf commissioner (Erla Stefánsdóttir, deceased 2015) who was consulted on construction projects
• The Elf School (Álfaskólinn) in Reykjavík offers courses on Icelandic folklore and elf studies — half serious, half humorous, entirely Icelandic
• The Huldufólk tradition has deep cultural roots: In a barren, isolated landscape where volcanoes, earthquakes, and winter storms constantly threaten life, belief in invisible forces in nature is a natural response

Literature & Sagas

Iceland has the highest book publication rate per capita in the world — more books per inhabitant than any other country. The tradition dates back to the Icelandic sagas (Íslendingasögur), written in the 13th and 14th centuries, which are among the most significant literary works of the Middle Ages.

The sagas tell of the settlement of Iceland, family feuds, love, revenge, and heroism — in a sober, modern style that remains surprisingly readable even after 800 years. The most famous: Njal's Saga (the longest and most dramatic), Egil's Saga (about the Viking poet-warrior Egill Skallagrímsson), Laxdæla Saga (a love story), and Grettir's Saga (about the outlaw Grettir).

Icelanders can read the sagas in the original — the language has changed so little in 1,000 years that medieval Icelandic is understandable to modern Icelanders. This is akin to a German being able to read the Nibelungenlied in the original (which is famously nearly impossible).

At Christmas, the Jólabókaflóð (Christmas Book Flood) is a beloved tradition: On Christmas Eve, Icelanders give each other books and spend the evening reading and enjoying chocolate.