As if we needed any more excuses to be totally and irrevocably in love with Iceland. But anyway, we’ve found it. Women now hold the biggest majority in Iceland’s government – with 30 new female MPs – following the election on Saturday 29th October. So that means if they were a political party in their own right, they would just need two more seats to hold a majority! Just. So. Cool.
When it comes to female representation in parliament, the Nordic countries always score well; according to a 2015 IPU study, women in the Nordics held 41.5% of the majority seats in parliament, with Sweden way out front with 43.6% and Finland with 42.5%. But now Iceland has said ’bless’ (goodbye) to its cool Scandi cousins and has taken over the kickass accolade.
The Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs declared proudly that they are now the country with the ’most equal Parliament in the world’ without a quota system; with female candidates accounting for nearly half of the total 63 seats, a new record, reports NPR. The Pirate Party – an anti-establishment party made up of activists and former hackers – also increased its holding, trippling its seats this election with 10.
They also seem to have the most chill parliament ever, demonstrated earlier this month when Unnur Brá Konráðsdóttir, an MP with the conservative Independence party, breastfed her baby whilst on the parliamentary podium. The Icelandic paliament sounds hella fun really!
Outside of Government, it’s still been a productive few weeks for the women of this Nordic Narnia. Women up and down the country left work early on Monday 24th October to protest the equal pay gap – Icelandic women, on average, earn 14 – 18 percent less than their male colleagues. And Miss Iceland ceremonially quit a beauty pageantlast week after being fat-shamed by a competition official, saying they didn't 'deserve my face, body, personality or heart.'
OK, BRB just moving to Reykjavik!
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.