Balance of Power Recognition for the third year in a row
The Scales of Balance, a dynamic initiative of the Association of Women in Business (FKA), held its annual awards ceremony on 10th October. The City of Hafnarfjörður was among the 130 organisations recognised for achieving the Balance Meter's goal and for its outstanding achievements in equality matters. The recognition is for equalising the gender balance at the top level.
We make it happen, equality is a choice
The Scales, a project on motion Association of Women in Business (FKA), held its annual awards ceremony on 10 October. There, the City of Hafnarfjörður was among the 130 organisations recognised for achieving the goals of the Gender Balance Scale and for its outstanding achievements in equality matters. This year, a record number of organisations received the award. The award was accepted on behalf of the municipality by Íris Ósk Bjarnadóttir and Dögg Gunnarsóttir, HR advisors for the City of Hafnarfjörður.
Recognition for equalising the gender balance at the top level
The award is given to those who have managed to equalise the gender ratio at the top level to at least 40/60. In Hafnarfjörður, the ratio is 60/40 in favour of women, and in recent years the municipality has emphasised the most equal gender ratio possible and worked towards it with purpose. Hafnarfjörður was among the municipalities and companies that in 2019 signed a declaration of intent to work towards the goals of FKA's Equality Scale and to promote greater gender balance within their organisations. The City of Hafnarfjörður first received the award in 2022 and is now receiving it for the third year in a row. A large proportion of the participants who have signed the Balance Scale's declaration of intent have achieved good results in this area. In addition to FKA, the driving force behind the project is the Ministry of the Interior, Creditinfo, Deloitte, Pipar\TBWA, the National Broadcasting Service, the Association of Marine Industries and Sjóvá.
Direct impact on the environment
At the 2020 Balance Scale conference, the new FKA Equality Grove was unveiled, which the Reykjavík Forest 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 as a symbol of the diversity that the Jafnvægisvogin is promoting. This year, 130 trees were planted, one for each award recipient in 2024, whereas last year there were 89 trees. Lind Einarsdóttir, Human Resources Manager for the City of Hafnarfjörður, planted a tree on behalf of the municipality. In total, the trees in the Equality Grove now number 392 over the last 5 years. It is the aim of the Balance Scale to repeat this annually, and it would be pleasing to see the hillside fill up in the coming years with increasing equality.
