As Iceland's 4th president, Vigdís Finnbogadóttir (1930-present) was the first woman to ever be elected president of a country. Her advocacy for cultural development and education makes her an incredible role model for young women around the globe.
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Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan. And this is Encyclopedia Womannica.
Today we’re talking about the first woman to ever be elected president of a country. Her advocacy for cultural development and education makes her an incredible role model for young women around the globe. Meet Iceland’s 4th president, Vigdis Finnbogadóttir.
Vigdis was born into a wealthy family on April 15th, 1930 in Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. Her father was a civil engineer and a professor at the University of Iceland. Her mother was chair of the Icelandic Nurses Association for over three decades. Education and travel were highly valued in Vigdis’s family. Both of Vigdis’ parents studied in Europe before she was born and they often told tales of their travels.
After graduating from junior college in Reykjavík in 1949, Vigdis got the opportunity to travel through Europe and to pursue her many areas of academic interest. She studied French, and took courses on literature and drama in Paris. She also studied at the University of Uppsala in Sweden, and continued to pursue her theatrical interest in Copenhagen where she studied theater history. Finally, she returned to her home country to study English Literature and Education at the University of Iceland.
Becoming a teacher was a natural next step for Vigdis. She taught French, drama, and theater history at the University of Iceland before breaking away to develop the French department at a selective, experimental school in the city.
Vigdis also participated in many projects that brought her into the public eye. She taught French on public television, for example, and later hosted programs about drama. During the summer, she gave official tours of the country for journalists and writers hoping to gather research material. In the 1970’s, Vigdis also served as the director of the Reykjavik Theatre Company. All of her public-facing work helped grow Vigdis’s popularity and name recognition.
In addition to all the other things she had going on, Vigdis also adopted a daughter in 1972 and raised her as a single mother, all while acting as a cultural ambassador for her country!
Vigdis remained relatively apolitical at first. Iceland experienced some turbulent politics, including housing shortages in the 60’s and ongoing conflict between integrationist and isolationist political ideologies. Vigdis’ early detachment from politics came in handy when she was drafted as a candidate for president in 1980.
When asked, “Is it fair to say, then, that you should be elected for being a woman?” Vigdis responded, “No, I shouldn’t be elected because I am a woman. I should be elected because I am a human.”
She secured a narrow victory against three other opponents -- all men. Her focus on the cultural identity and history of the country -- rather than more polarizing issues -- served her well in the race.
Just like that, Vigdis became the first democratically elected woman president.
The Icelandic constitution grants the president only ceremonial power, while the prime minister takes a more typical leadership role. Still, Vigdis also took an active role in the development of her country, both at home and abroad. She spent time advocating for reforestation. She also used her fluency in multiple languages to serve as an impactful ambassador, educating about the culture and rich literary traditions of Iceland. She personified the unity of her country and gained massive popularity across the world.
Vigdis was reelected three times, until she decided to retire from her position in 1996.
But her participation in politics didn’t end there. The following year, she went on to serve as president of the UNESCO World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology.
Vigdis made history by becoming the first woman president -- a glass ceiling she broke surprisingly and depressingly recently. Vigdis encouraged women never to settle for less. She said, "get educated - never accept a shorter education than your brothers."
All month, we’re talking about Politicians. For more on why we’re doing what we’re doing check out our newsletter Womannica Weekly. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @encyclopediawomannica and follow me directly on twitter @jennymkaplan.
Special thanks to my favorite sister and co-creator, Liz Kaplan.
Talk to you tomorrow!