Bríet Bjarnhéðinsdóttir – A Pioneer of Iceland’s First Wave of Feminism
Bríet Bjarnhéðinsdóttir (1856–1940) was a trailblazer in the Icelandic women’s rights movement. She played a key role in launching the country’s first wave of feminism, fighting for fundamental rights for women such as the right to vote, to run for office, and to pursue an education — rights that had long been reserved for men.
Bríet was likely the first woman in Iceland to publicly discuss wage inequality and the lack of opportunities for women in the workforce. She also championed the idea of establishing childcare institutions, where young children could be cared for during the day — a revolutionary idea at the time.
She was the first woman to publish an article on women’s rights, the first to give a public lecture on the subject, and she founded Kvennablaðið (“The Women’s Paper”), which ran from 1895 to 1919 and became one of the most widely read newspapers in the country.
Bríet was the driving force behind the founding of the Icelandic Women’s Rights Association (Kvenréttindafélag Íslands), serving as its chair for two decades. She was instrumental in connecting Icelandic women to the international women’s movement. One of her central beliefs was that women needed to organize — by forming associations, trade unions for working women, and fostering cooperation among these groups.
“We who were young around 1874, when the struggle for independence was at its peak, were full of passion and ideals. We dreamed great dreams, and there was a stirring in the air. Those were the years that shaped me, when I began to think deeply about many things. We rose up against every form of injustice, wherever we found it.”
— Bríet Bjarnhéðinsdóttir