GEORGE TOWN – Iceland Justice Minister Áslaug Arna Sigurbjörnsdóttir, 31, encouraged women to get involved in politics as it is one of the ways to have an impact in society.
Even though Iceland is ranked one of the world’s top countries on gender equality with the smallest gender gap at 12.2% in 2020, Áslaug admits that many still think she is “too young as a woman” to be a minister.
“I tell these people if being too young is the only thing that is wrong with me, then just give me a couple of years,” she said during a webinar organised by the Penang Women’s Development Corporation.
Áslaug who joined the Independence Party (Sjálfstæðisflokkur) at age 20 rose to take on the role as its youth chief at 25. She then became minister in September 2019 at the age of 28.
She urged more women not to be afraid to speak up as political parties should not use women or young people as “flags” to show voters that they have representation.
“We should not just show people, ‘look, we have a young person' or ‘look, we have a lady’. If they mean what they say, they should be voting and welcoming young people to the table.
“Therefore, never be afraid to ask for bigger roles. It can be tough, and you can never always get it, but you will always learn from the process. If you don’t ask for it, you’ll never get it.”
Though she is known throughout Iceland, she said that when she travels to other countries for work, people still think she is someone’s assistant, not the minister. She has been asked to bring coffee to the table.
Áslaug also explained that Iceland has gender equality laws to pave the way for equal representation of men and women in politics. They conduct gender budgeting, where bills from every ministry are looked at and weighed from both gender glasses.
Thirty of the country’s 63 MPs are women, and it is possible because social and welfare policies in Iceland help female politicians to balance their careers and family life.
Icelanders have a 12-month paid maternity and paternity leave, where mothers and fathers get six months each. In addition, the country has government-subsidised childcare that caters to children as young as a year old.
Áslaug said that they are trying to increase the number of paid leave for both parents, so men can take more responsibilities at home without affecting domestic family dynamics.
“A lot of people tell mothers who have careers to take care of their children at home. People don’t ask men that. But I say, the children have a father who is capable of taking care of the children at home.”
Penang social development exco Chong Eng, who also participated in the interview, said that women in the state can also go back to work and even be a part of politics even after having children.
She believes that to achieve gender balance, men must rise up and take more responsibilities at home.
“I realised there is inequality between genders since I was young, and the reason I entered politics is to change that. After many years, this is still my objective,” she said.
“It has improved a little bit in Penang, but generally, our environment is not very supportive or friendly when it comes to women taking part in politics.
“I am still in politics because I am still trying to level the playing field and change the game because all these regulations are written mainly by men. Women must come in to amend the rules, so it becomes more equal.
“We are not only working to have longer paternal leave so that men can help women but we are also working on providing affordable childcare for families,” she said.
Chong, who has been in politics for close to 30 years, admits that she did not feel comfortable when she was the deputy secretary-general of DAP, adding that she looks up to Áslaug who shoulders the responsibility after being appointed as justice minister.
The minister said that if the criticism is about age or gender, that criticism should be ignored.
“Many people think that I am too loud, talk too much or have too many opinions, but put me together with male ministers and I assure you that I am not talking more than the men,” she said. – The Vibes, November 12, 2021
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