Today is international women’s day, and one of the biggest topics of debate is equal pay for equal work. Well, Iceland is about to take steps to make sure that becomes less of a concern in the small European country. Today, the Icelandic government announced that it will introduce a law that will require all companies with 25 employees or more be able to prove that they practice pay equality.

Iceland is hoping that this measure will eliminate the pay gap in the country by 2022. And it’s not just about the gender pay gap. The law mandates that public and private companies pay employees equally “regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexuality, or nationality.”

Icelandic Equality and Social Affairs Minister Thorsteinn Viglundsson says that it’s time that the country do something “radical” about the issue. He stated: “Equal rights are human rights. We need to make sure that men and women enjoy equal opportunity in the workplace. It is our responsibility to take every measure to achieve that.”

The proposed law has received some criticism–mostly concerns that it will become burdensome for companies and slow down the pace of business, as it requires that any company with over 25 employees obtain a certificate from the government.

There are a lot of arguments about how large the gender pay gap actually is in individual countries. Iceland is often cited as one of the best nations for equality, but according to a study from Expert Market, a UK-based data firm, Icelandic women earn 14 percent less than their male counterparts. In October 2016, Icelandic women protested the pay gap by walking out of work.

Way to go women of Iceland! Yesterday they protested 14% pay gap by leaving 14% early from work at 2:38pm! https://t.co/fGE9zByatE pic.twitter.com/fx1xjuJznI

— Women Thrive (@WomenThrive) October 26, 2016

Certain nations have policies that involve equal pay certificates. And in Minnesota, “certain contractors must provide equal pay certificates in order to conduct business with the State of Minnesota or certain governmental agencies.” But Iceland is believed to be the first nation to try to implement a law that mandates proof of equal pay.

Iceland is a very small country, so if this measure succeeds it may not be too useful of a model for other nations. But it’s nice to see a country making an effort to advocate for equal pay. After all, we still live in a world where op-eds are published about how women shouldn’t be paid equally. So, carry on, Iceland, and happy International Women’s Day!

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

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The U.S. Women’s National Soccer team just became soccer champions of the world but they weren’t paid like it. The entire winning Women’s National team received $2 million, but the U.S. Men’s National Soccer team received $8 million after being eliminated in the first knockout round in the 2014 World Cup.

Representative Carolyn Maloney from New York wrote a letter to FIFA president, Sepp Blatter, on Monday urging him to address this pay inequality. In her letter to Blatter, she accuses FIFA officials of making excuses for the pay gap by arguing that there have been more soccer tournaments for men over the years.

This is true–there have only been seven FIFA Women’s World Cups as opposed to the twenty FIFA World Cups. But on the other hand, women’s soccer did not become popular until the 20th century when the first FIFA Women’s World Cup was played in 1991.

FIFA has a history of being a bit discriminatory toward women players. Many high profile players filed a lawsuit challenging FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Association in January 2015 after FIFA announced women would play on artificial turf for the Women’s World Cup instead of grass like the men. Artificial turf is known for being hotter, shorter, and dryer. Playing on artificial turf has been proven to cause higher levels of fatigue and more injuries than playing on natural grass. Sydney Leroux, the U.S. Women’s Soccer forward posted this picture, illustrating the danger.

This is why soccer should be played on grass! pic.twitter.com/fsNGi27oRY

— Sydney Leroux Dwyer (@sydneyleroux) April 15, 2013

Unfortunately, this is not the first time women athletes have been paid less than their male counterparts. According to the Women’s Sports Foundation, this problem exists in almost every sport. In golf, the total prize money for the PGA Tour is more than five times that of the LPGA Tour. In 2005, for the WNBA the salary cap per team was $673,000 compared to the NBA salary cap per team at $46 million.

There are some exceptions, but they’re few and far between. In 2007, Wimbledon changed its rules stating that both men and women would receive equal prize money. All four Grand Slam events in tennis now offer equal prize money for both male and female athletes.

So what is the difference between men and women’s sports? The answer is revenue. According to the Wall Street Journal, there was $17 million raised in sponsor revenue for the Women’s World Cup this year compared to the $529 million for the men’s tournament in 2014. This data shows sponsors are less interested in supporting women’s sports, which causes revenue to suffer.

UK Sport and Tourism Minister Helen Grant addressed the argument during an interview with BBC last year that women’s sports do not generate as much revenue as the men’s sports stating:

It’s not just about the bottom line and profits and the return on investment which I believe they will get, it’s also taking part in the battle for gender balance and fairness in the 21st century, Sports need to engage in the battle of gender balance and fairness.

Grant’s solution for pay equality in women’s athletics is to encourage media outlets to show women’s sports more frequently and in turn generate more commercial investment. With more media coverage, women’s sports would attract larger audiences of both viewers and sponsors. Like Grant said, gender pay inequality in sports underscores the larger issue that gender inequality still exists all over the world and must be addressed.

The Women’s World Cup this year crushed TV record ratings, making it the highest ever for a U.S. soccer game. FIFA should not only pay these women for their hard work and determination, but by ending the pay gap it would show the world that it supports women’s soccer and will continue to as it grows in the future.

Jennie Burger

Jennie Burger is a member of the University of Oklahoma Class of 2016 and a Law Street Media Fellow for the Summer of 2015. Contact Jennie at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

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Recently a video has been making the rounds on my Facebook feed, posted both by people cheering it on and by people questioning the sanity of its producers. The now-viral video features little girls dressed up as princesses and talking about women’s rights. It doesn’t sound so harmless, right? What is so controversial?

The video boasts the title: “Potty-Mouthed Princesses Drop F-Bombs for Feminism.”

Aha.

The video is produced by FCKH8.com, a for-profit clothing company that features t-shirts with mottos like “This is what a #feminist looks like” and “Some kids are gay, that’s okay.” Since its inception in 2010, it has donated more than a quarter-million dollars to foundations fighting for equality, and boast celebrity customers like Ellen DeGeneres, Portia de Rossi, Dan Savage, and Zac Efron. Now, it can add “viral video production” to its list of accolades. It has nearly 100,000 “likes” and more than 400,000 shares on Facebook, and nearly one million views on YouTube.

Watch the video below, and if you are at work or around sensitive ears, I suggest the use of headphones:

Obviously, the first time you watch these little girls swearing like a middle-age man with road rage, it is pretty shocking. We’re not accustomed to hearing proper young ladies use such language!

Here’s the thing: it is meant to shock you. It is meant to grab your attention, and it succeeds. Through all the f-bombs and a-bombs (and I don’t mean atomic), their message is loud and clear: sexism still exists, and it needs to stop.

Or, in the words of one princess, “F*** that sexist sh**!”

Many of the complaints lodged against the video are about the children using curse words. Clearly, though, their parents gave them permission to be in the video, and their message is more important than their foul language. The point is that the rampant sexism and hate in society today is more shocking than girls and boys saying “f***.” Don’t focus on the swearing, focus on the statistics and the facts they are sharing.

Others agree with the message, but dislike the use of children to communicate it. One Facebook commenter said “using children to push a political agenda is one of the quickest ways to lose my respect.” While I agree that young kids should not be forced to share the political opinions of their parents, or stand on street corners holding signs supporting one politician over another, I think these kids do understand — at least fundamentally — what they are saying. They are all old enough to have experienced sexism already, like being told to play with Barbies instead of Tonka trucks or to dress up as princesses instead of superheroes. As the boy featured at the end said, “When you tell a boy not to act like a girl, it means you think it’s bad to be a girl.” Gender roles and sexism are ingrained in us early, and these children are meant to represent that.

One of the big points the girls make is that women are still paid less than men for the same work. Some viewers of the video had a real issue with that, one male Facebook user even posting this ill-informed meme:

The response to this is simple. Companies cannot hire all women for the same reason they cannot hire all men or all people of one race: equal opportunity. Yet, even with this supposed “equal opportunity,” women will be offered lower salaries. The pay gap is real, and by all accounts will not close anytime soon.

“F*** that sexist sh**!”

Along with pointing out the pay gap, they bring attention to the fact that one in five women will be sexually assaulted, using themselves as examples, and saying “Instead of telling girls how to dress, start teaching boys not to f***ing rape!”

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

So, go back and watch the video again, share it, discuss it, and look past the swearing. They have to put quarters in a swear jar at the end anyway!

Morgan McMurray

Morgan McMurray is an editor and gender equality blogger based in Seattle, Washington. A 2013 graduate of Iowa State University, she has a Bachelor of Arts in English, Journalism, and International Studies. She spends her free time writing, reading, teaching dance classes, and binge-watching Netflix. Contact Morgan at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

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