"Engineering and equality issues go together"

Stúdentablaðið/Vera Fjalarsdóttir

Translation: Derek T. Allen

Ráður is a company that was founded in 2018. Its main duties are to provide analysis and consulting services in relation to the Equal Pay Standard, which all Icelandic companies and institutions with 25 or more employees are required to implement by the end of 2022.

Two young women, Anna Beta Gísladóttir and Gyða Björg Sigurðardóttir, have been doing quite well for themselves in their little office on Síðumúli. It is from that little office that they run a company that specializes in consulting and education connected to management systems and strategic planning. The company’s main objective is to guide companies and institutions in implementing the Equal Pay Standard and to help them fulfill the requirements in order to earn equal pay certification. Anna Beta and Gyða say it is important that organizations begin the implementation process with a clear understanding that the goal is to make equality issues a priority and improve equality in the workplace.

The Equal Pay Law was passed in June 2017 with an amendment of Article 19 of the Act on Equal Status and Equal Rights of Women and Men (Equality Act), which relates to pay equity on the job market. The aim is to work against gender-based wage inequality and support equality of the sexes in the workplace. Employers are required to demonstrate that they are paying equal wages for the same work or work of equal value and ensure that wage setting does not discriminate directly or indirectly. The equal pay certificate is earned by organizations that fulfill all the requirements of the Equal Pay Standard, which was introduced in 2012 and verified by an accredited certification agency.  

The idea behind the company arose during a "mommy date"

"In 2013, I had my first assignment in enacting the Equal Pay Standard, and I was quickly hired as a consultant. I immediately had a lot of interest in technical implementation of the then-new standard.  During my university studies, I did all sorts of assignments connected to this. I also received two grants from the Icelandic Centre for Research (Rannís), one from their Icelandic Student Innovation Fund and the other from their Technology Development Fund, so that I could help companies develop assessment and operations solutions related to the Equal Pay Standard," Gyða says. 

The idea to found a company together first arose when Anna Beta and Gyða were both on maternity leave and discussing these issues with one another. The law on equal pay certification had recently been passed. When they had the idea to center a business around consulting on equal pay systems, they saw an opportunity to become their own bosses. Gyða says that developing a business becomes easier if one has a good business partner and that overcoming challenges is more enjoyable in a good partnership. "We’re good friends and have a good relationship outside of work. We have a similar vision, but different strengths. The key to our partnership is that we always make a point of supporting each other," say Gyða and Anna Beta.

Education is a strong foundation for the future

Gyða and Anna Beta first met while studying civil and environmental engineering at the University of Iceland. Gyða says she had a difficult time finding her footing in her studies at that point, so she took a gap year and went to China as an au-pair. When she arrived home, she began studying engineering management at the University of Reykjavík. She completed her undergraduate studies while working as a consultant. She then went on to graduate school, where she had the chance to tackle many practical assignments, which she connected directly to innovation projects. Anna Beta completed both undergraduate and graduate studies in civil and environmental engineering at the University of Iceland. After graduation, she worked as a structural engineer, but also found it exciting to take part in work connected to the Equal Pay Standard. “The Equal Pay Standard is uniquely Icelandic. The methodology is still being shaped, but this approach could become a blueprint for other countries when it comes to wage equality," Anna Beta says. The company's operations are built on an engineering basis that comes to good use within the field. Gyða says that although equality issues have more often been associated with the humanities, they absolutely have a place within engineering, as well as any other field.

It's exciting to try new things

Gyða thinks it's great when people tie their studies to something practical, and it’s becoming more and more common that students have the opportunity to tie their studies to internships and the job market. Students are encouraged to go into entrepreneurship, for example. She says that the university is a fun environment to test oneself. Anna Beta has a different take: "You don't need to worry if you haven't found yourself during your studies. At the end of graduate school, I was still asking myself what I wanted to do in the future. Your education will come to good use, even if you’re not doing exactly what you would have expected with your specialty. Studying opens doors, and it’s exciting to try new and unexpected things.”