International Women’s Day 2017: Iceland becomes first country in the world to make firms prove equal pay – Prepare for Change

The Nordic nation has pledged to eradicate the gender pay gap by 2022

On International Women’s Day, Iceland became the first country in the world to force companies to prove they pay all employees the same regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexuality or nationality,

The country’s government announced a new law that will require every company with 25 or more staff to gain a certificate demonstrating pay equality.

Iceland is not the first country to introduce a scheme like this – Switzerland has one, as does the US state of Minnesota – but Iceland is thought to be the first to make it a mandatory requirement.

Equality and Social Affairs Minister Thorsteinn Viglundsson said that “the time is right to do something radical about this issue.”

“Equal rights are human rights. We need to make sure that men and women enjoy equal opportunity in the workplace…