Women’s Unity Brings Reykjavík Its First Four Female Council Members
In 1908, the Icelandic Women’s Rights Association joined forces with other women’s groups in Reykjavík to form a united women’s list for the city council elections. Their solidarity paid off — all four women on the list were elected to Reykjavík City Council. Those pioneering women were Bríet Bjarnhéðinsdóttir, Guðrún Björnsdóttir, Katrín Magnússon, and Þórunn Jónassen.
Years of organized activism and strategic campaigning culminated in a historic victory in 1915, when Icelandic women aged 40 and over gained the right to vote and to run for Parliament.
In 1922, Ingibjörg H. Bjarnason became the first woman elected to Alþingi, the Icelandic Parliament, running on a special women’s list. She served from 1922 to 1930, representing first the Women’s List (the earlier version), then the Conservative Party, and later the Independence Party.
A teacher and longtime principal of the Reykjavík Women’s School, Ingibjörg also chaired the National Hospital Fund, which oversaw the construction of Landspítali, Iceland’s National Hospital.
“I consider myself sent there to safeguard the interests of my nation, to the best of my ability — to support what will most benefit our shared national home of men and women alike. Yet of course, I expect there will be times when I must especially defend the interests of women.”
— Ingibjörg H. Bjarnason