Silja Bára R. Ómarsdóttir, Rector of UI, Katrín Jakobsdóttir and Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir at the event.

Representatives from the University of Iceland and the Reykjavík Global Forum signed a four-year partnership agreement at an event held at the Loftskeytastöðin Cultural Centre on Suðurgata last Friday, exactly 111 years after women in Iceland gained the right to vote. According to the agreement, all data and findings related to the Reykjavík Index will be transferred from the international research agency Verian to the University of Iceland, where they will be stored and used for further research and informational purposes. Thereby, the Reykjavík Global Forum aims to support research on gender equality and women leaders at the University of Iceland.

The Reykjavík Global Forum has published findings from the Reykjavík Index for the past 8 years. The index is based on research conducted in the G7 member states and other countries, which measured opinions on men and women in leadership positions across 23 job sectors. Every year, the main findings are compiled and published in a report, which is then presented at the annual Reykjavík Global Forum held at Harpa. However, the Reykjavík Global Forum and the international research agency Verian have now partnered with the University of Iceland, which involves the University of Iceland preserving the research data and making it available to teachers, students, and scholars for their research projects.
Silja Bára R. Ómarsdóttir, Rector of UI, Katrín Jakobsdóttir and Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir at the event.
Silja Bára R. Ómarsdóttir, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, and Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir discuss different perceptions of men and women in leadership positions. IMAGE/Kristinn Ingvarsson

Silja Bára R. Ómarsdóttir, the Rector of the University of Iceland, opened the event at Loftskeytastöðin last Friday, where she discussed the importance of storing such extensive data for the university community. At the meeting, she also met with Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir, chair of the executive board of the Reykjavík Global Index, and Katrín Jakobsdóttir, the former Prime Minister of Iceland and member of the Reykjavík Global Forum’s Advisory Board. Furthermore, Finnborg Salome Steinþórsdóttir, assistant professor of gender studies at the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Iceland, also delivered a speech. At the event, participants discussed different perceptions of men and women in leadership roles, the importance of data, research, and education for advancing gender equality, and Iceland’s role in preserving and developing knowledge in this important field.
Finnborg Salome Steinþórsdóttir, assistant professor of gender studies at UI, delivering a speech at the event.
Finnborg Salome Steinþórsdóttir, assistant professor of gender studies at the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Iceland, addresses guests at the event in Loftskeytastöðin. IMAGE/Kristinn Ingvarsson

Now that the research data is being given a new home at the University of Iceland, Iceland’s position as a centre for knowledge and research on gender equality is strengthened. At the same time, it provides students and scholars at the University with new opportunities to use the data for research, in teaching, and in knowledge creation.

Further information about the Reykjavík Index can be found on the Reykjavík Global Forum website.
Silja Bára R. Ómarsdóttir, Rector of UI, and Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir, Chair of the Executive Board of the Reykjavík Global Forum sign an agreement at Loftskeytastöðin.
Silja Bára R. Ómarsdóttir, the Rector of the University of Iceland, and Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir, chair of the board of the Reykjavík Global Index, signed the agreement at Loftskeytastöðin Cultural Centre last Friday. IMAGE/Kristinn Ingvarsson.
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