Iceland: From feminist governance to gender-blind austerity?

• Published in: Gender, Sexuality & Feminism
• Main Author: Thora Kristin Thorsdottir
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Ann Arbor, MI: Michigan Publishing, University of Michigan Library 2014
• Subjects: Article; Iceland; austerity; crisis; gender; policy
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2027/spo.12220332.0001.203

The Icelandic nation responded to the crisis by toppling the government and electing the first left-wing government of the nation’s history. This government was the most feminist one the country has had and was also the first to have an equal share of men and women in cabinet. Despite considerable praise for its mixed approach to the crisis from Keynesian economists, such as Krugman and Stiglitz, the nation switched in succeeding elections and gave the majority of votes to the right-wing parties. What does this change in government herald for women in Iceland? In this article I review the crisis and the record of the 2009 to 2013 government and compare it to what we already know about the priorities of the current governing parties. Although, at the time of writing, less than a year has passed since the latest elections, it is clear that the change in governance was not only from left to right but also from feminist governance to what seems, in comparison, to be best described as gender-blind austerity.