Hafnarfjörður receives the 2023 Balance Scale award

Hafnarfjörður receives the Balance of Power award for the second year in a row

56 companies, 11 local authorities and 22 public sector organisations receive the Jafnvægisvogin award, an initiative of FKA. Hafnarfjörður is among them, as the award is given to those who have achieved gender balance in the top management, at a ratio of at least 40/60. Hafnarfjörður was among the municipalities and companies that, in 2019, signed a declaration of intent to work towards the goals of FKA's Balance Scale and to promote greater gender balance within their own organisations. Hafnarfjörður also received the award in 2022. In 2023, 31 new participants joined the group of organisations taking part in the Balance Scale.

Notice on the FKA website

Excellent results among participants in the FKA Balance Scale

The Scales of Balance, an initiative of the Association of Women in Business (FKA), recently held the digital conference 'We All Lose on Monochromatic Thinking – Equality is a Decision'. There, Eliza Reid presented the recipients of the Balance Award, who are those participants who have managed to achieve gender balance in their boards of directors. This year, a record number of 89 recipients were honoured. The momentum project is supported by the Prime Minister's Office, Creditinfo, Deloitte, Pipar\TBWA, Ríkisútvarpið, the Association of Icelandic Companies in Fisheries and Seafood, and Sjóvá.

56 companies, 11 local authorities and 22 public bodies receive recognition

The Gender Balance Scales awarded recognition to fifty-six companies, eleven local authorities and twenty-two public bodies from among the 239 participants who have signed the declaration of intent. The Balance Scale's objective of a 40/60 gender ratio in senior management was taken into consideration during the assessment. A large proportion of the participants who have signed the Balance Scale's declaration of intent have achieved good results in this area.

Equality has a direct impact on the environment.

At the 2020 Balance Scale conference, the new FKA Equality Grove was unveiled, which the Reykjavík Forestry Association provided for the Balance Scale. The grove is located at the main entrance to Heiðmörk, on the Vífilsstaðir side, and is the first thing people see when they enter Heiðmörk. Many different types of trees were chosen to symbolise the diversity that the Jafnvægisvogin promotes. This year, 89 trees will be planted, one for each award recipient in 2023, bringing the total number of trees planted in the Equality Grove to 262 over the past four years. The aim of the Scales of Balance is to repeat this annually, and it would be pleasing to see the hillside fill up in the coming years with increasing equality.

Accessible and clear presentation of information

The Gender Balance Scale maintains a dashboard designed to track statistical information on gender equality. This ensures accountability and shows the situation as it is at any given time. The Balance Scale's dashboard displays all the key information on the status of the sexes in Icelandic business life, such as the gender ratios of company founders, managing directors and boards of directors. There you can also find information on gender proportions at university graduation, the gender balance within industries, and the GemmaQ gender index for listed companies. In the dashboard, which has been developed by Creditinfo, Deloitte and the Gender Balance Index Council, the information is made accessible in a simple and clear way. There has been a strong commitment from companies, local authorities and public bodies to working on equality issues when it comes to senior management. The number of participants in the Gender Balance Index has reached 239.