Lectures

1 Equality issues – success and new points of emphasis.
2 Job evaluation.
3 Multicultural activities in the City’s pre-schools and compulsory schools.

For approximately a decade, the City of Reykjavík has systematically promoted gender equality in the city’s operating units, in Reykjavík society and in the arena of political policy formulation and decision making. During this time, the city has ensured gender equality among officials and in top management positions, has decreased wage discrimination by half in the years 1995–2001 and, since 2002, has introduced non-gender-specific job evaluation in order to attain the goals of the Act on the Equal Rights of Men and Women, i.e. to pay women and men equal wages for equally valuable work in all fields of the municipal system. A large number of co-operative projects, in the field of gender equality, with trade unions, gender equality authorities, employer associations and the university community have been brought into existence owing to the initiative of the city, such as issues relating to paternity leave, the co-ordination of work and private life and the mainstreaming of gender and equality perspectives.

The city’s success in the field of gender equality has resulted in the city’s desire to utilise its ability for innovation, and the experience it has gained in other fields relating to human rights, to strengthen the position of immigrants, fight discrimination due to race or religion and strengthen the participation of the disabled in all spheres of society, to name but a few issues. The City of Reykjavík intends to accomplish this through the formulation of a human rights policy which addresses all these issues and by creating strong and clear channels for implementation.

Children of foreign origin in the pre-schools and compulsory schools of the city have steadily increased in number over the past few years. This is a trend which reflects the multicultural society forming in Iceland. The main curriculum for pre-schools and compulsory schools states that the schools are for all children, irrespective of nationality, mental or physical ability, religion or culture. This places obligations on schools, and an effort is made to fulfil them by accepting each child on his or her own terms and developing an understanding of different circumstances and respect for the child’s origin. Emphasis is placed on co-operation with parents. Specially designed enrolment plans are used when children of foreign origin begin their schooling. Employees of the schools are provided with consulting services that focus on integration and well being of the children.