Iceland

Population, Marriage, and Reproduction

With a small population and few migrants, most Icelanders have large extended families. Kinship is important, with many men and women taking on the names of their fathers as patronymic surnames. The last quarter of the 20th century saw many changes in Icelandic family life. The fertility rate for the country fell from 2.6 in 1975 to 1.9 in 1999. At the same time, the number of extramarital births increased from 33 percent in 1975 to 62.4 percent in 1999. Iceland's figures for both years were the highest in Europe.

The marriage and divorce rates are low in Iceland, at 5.0 and 1.9 per 1,000, respectively, and 90 percent of married couples reported living together before marriage. In 2004, 1,762 couples registered for consensual unions, while 1,472 couples got married. The modal age for a first marriage was 30 years of age for men and 27 for women, while for consensual unions, the modal age was 24 for men and 23 for women.

Contraception is readily available. The government does not issue statistics on contraceptive use, but studies have found that about 35 percent of women age 20–40 use the pill or intrauterine devices (IUDs). Abortion is legal, and in 2005, there were 202.6 abortions per 1,000 live births.

In 2006, over 80 percent of women with children were in the workforce, and both parents are eligible for three months of paid parental leave (at 80 percent of prior wages) following birth or adoption. Women can take an additional month of leave before their expected birth, and each parent can take an additional three months of unpaid leave. Parents are entitled to paid leave of up to 13 weeks to care for a sick child under the age of 13.

Women have long had an important role in Icelandic politics. The Women's Slate was established in 1983 and received 5.5 percent of the vote in the first parliamentary elections; in 1987, it received over 10 percent of the vote. Vigdis Finnbogadottir served four terms as President of Iceland, and was one of the first elected female heads of state in the world. In 2009, Johanna Siguroardóttir became the first female prime minister in the country's history. The mother of two sons, she was also one the first openly gay heads of government in modern times.

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