Welcome to Gilead

Seminar hosted by the Icelandic Women’s Rights Association, RIKK – Institute for Gender, Equality and Difference at the University of Iceland and UN Women Iceland on sexual and reproductive rights in an age of extremism.Location: National Museum of Iceland – Lecture Hall
Date: Wednesday, 10 December 2025
Time: 16:00–17:30

About the event: International Human Rights Day is observed on 10 December each year and marks the end of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. To mark the occasion, the Icelandic Women’s Rights Association, RIKK – Institute for Gender, Equality and Difference at the University of Iceland and UN Women Iceland are hosting a seminar on women’s rights.

A significant backlash against gender equality is unfolding around the world. Extremism and well-funded anti-gender movements are gaining ground with the aim of undermining democracy and human rights, and misogyny is on the rise. The rights of women and LGBTQ+ people are increasingly under attack, with their bodily autonomy and safe access to abortion once again becoming a political battleground. Is the plot of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale becoming reality?

To help shed light on the situation, we have invited Antonina Lewandowska and Bjarki Þór Grönfeldt to join us. Antonina is a sociologist, researcher, and activist pursuing a PhD at the University of Warsaw, where she studies people’s experiences of abortion within systemic and institutional contexts.

Bjarki Þór holds a PhD in political psychology from the University of Kent in the UK. He works as a social affairs specialist at Landsvirkjun, is also an adjunct at the University of Iceland’s Department of Psychology, and takes part in various research projects, including on incel culture.

Opening remarks: Stella Samúelsdóttir, Executive Director, UN Women Iceland
Closing remarks: Tatjana Latinovic, Chair of the Icelandic Women’s Rights Association
Moderator: Svanhildur Anja Ástþórsdóttir, Project Manager, GRÓ GEST

Please note: The event will be held in English.Programme

16:00 Doors open
16:10 Opening remarks – Stella Samúelsdóttir
16:15 Antonina Lewandowska: Extreme Pronatalism and the Global Attack on Reproductive Rights
16:40 Dr. Bjarki Þór Grönfeldt: The Incel Movement and Misogyny in the Manosphere
16:55 Discussion and Q&A
17:25 Closing remarks – Tatjana Latinovic
17:30 Event concludes – Light Refreshments

About the speakers: Antonina Lewandowska, FEDERA – Foundation for Women and Family Planning (Poland).Antonina Lewandowska - sociologist, researcher, and activist pursuing a PhD at the University of Warsaw, where she studies abortion experiences in systemic and institutional contexts. An alumna of the University of Cambridge’s Leadership, Communication and Policy Skills Development course, she previously served as the first sexual abuse consultant at the University of Warsaw Students’ Union. As National Advocacy Coordinator at the Foundation for Women and Family Planning (FEDERA), she works to improve access to abortion and contraception and combat gynecological and obstetric violence in Poland. She also collaborates with international organizations such as the ASTRA Network, and serves as an expert for the European Union’s Contraception Atlas.Antonina is a co-author of several reports on sexuality education and women’s rights, Antonina was named Women’s Champion of the Year 2022 by Population Matters and received the Tadeusz Mazowiecki Award in 2022 for her commitment to reproductive rights. Antonina authored the report “Welcome to Gilead” in 2021, which highlights how extreme pronatalism and violations of reproductive rights represent a growing global threat.Dr. Bjarki Þór Grönfeldt, Doctor of Political Psychology.Bjarki Þór holds a PhD in political psychology from the University of Kent in the UK. He works as a social affairs specialist at Landsvirkjun, is also an adjunct at the University of Iceland’s Department of Psychology, and takes part in various research projects, including on incel culture.