The Reykjavík Index for Leadership

2018 Reykjavík Index

MEASURING PERCEPTIONS OF EQUALITY FOR WOMEN AND MEN IN LEADERSHIP

The Reykjavík Index for Leadership measures how people feel about women in power. It measures the perceived legitimacy of male and female leadership in politics and across twenty professions, as well as how men and women differ in their views, and the extent to which men and women are viewed equally in terms of suitability of individuals for positions of power.

The Index evaluates the G7 group of nations and 20 different industries and public professions, surveying the attitudes of more than 10,000 people.

The average Reykjavík Index for Leadership score for the G7 in launch year is 66, with the findings showing two groupings of countries: the UK, France, Canada and USA with ‘higher’ indices and a group of three that are a step change below: Japan, Germany and Italy.

Across the G7, there are wide disparities in how women and men view the suitability of women for leadership roles. As disheartening as this is, I am encouraged by tools such as the Reykjavik Index for Leadership which help us identify the countries and sectors where the equality challenges are the greatest. By measuring the challenges, we are better equipped to develop meaningful solutions to close the equality gap.

Ann Cairns, Vice Chairman, Mastercard
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The Reykjavik Index for Leadership shows that women in the G7 are more likely than men are to view women and men as equally suitable for leadership roles. It echoes the historic opportunity facing women to stand out and shape the future of mankind in the digital era. This dissonance is something we need to work on to drive the change towards parity.

Diane Wang, CEO, DHGate

The Reykjavík Index sheds a light on the gender gap in leadership and on the gender stereotypes that hold us back; individually, societally and economically. Gender equality doesn’t happen by chance, we need to take action towards it. Governments and businesses can lead the way.

Katrin Jakobsdóttir, Prime Minister of Iceland
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It is great to see an Index documenting everyday beliefs and behaviours related to leadership in the G7 countries. I am looking forward to seeing the findings about the perception of women leaders also in Spain.

Pedro Sanchez, Prime Minister of Spain

The Reykjavik Index for Leadership will help us monitor the very real but often invisible barriers and obstacles that women face in breaking the glass ceiling. By measuring perceptions over time, the index will help us assess and understand the social norms that limit women’s access to positions of leadership and power.

Rebeca Grynspan, Head of the Ibero-American Secretariat
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The Reykjavik Index for Leadership is the first of its kind, both to understand the progress we are making in terms of the perceptions of the suitability of men and women for positions of leadership and power – and for how this is working across the private and public realm. We hope it will be a significant contribution in terms of understanding our current position and driving positive change for the future.

Dr Michelle Harrison, Global CEO, Public Division, Kantar and WPP Government Sector Practice

It is our goal to reach Index scores of 100 – an indication that there is complete agreement that men and women are equally suited to leadership across the economy, and a tangible sign of progress towards equality at work, at home and in society. We believe the Reykjavik Index for Leadership will support the endeavours to get there.

Silvana Koch-Mehrin, President and Founder of Women Political Leaders
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THE INDEX

The Index measures the perceived legitimacy of women or men in positions of leadership in politics and professions. Within G7 countries, women score higher (67) on the Reykjavik Index for Leadership than men (61), therefore suggesting the G7 to be a better place for female leadership.

The Index was launched at the Women Leaders Global Forum, held in Iceland 26- 28 November, 2018. Women Political Leaders and Kantar will invite further discussion with political and business leaders on the Reykjavik Index for Leadership during Davos week in Switzerland.

About WLGF

The Reykjavík Global Forum – Women Leaders is where women leaders discuss and share ideas and solutions on how to further advance society, increase equality between women and men and promote and positively develop the number of women in leadership positions.

WPLGF Website

About Kantar

Kantar is one of the world’s leading data, insight and consultancy companies. Working together across the whole spectrum of research and consulting disciplines, its specialist brands, employing 30,000 people, provide inspirational insights and business strategies for corporations and governments in 100 countries. Kantar is part of WPP and its services are employed by over half of the Fortune Top 500 companies. For further information, please visit us at

Kantar Website