logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2022
8m 17s

We travel to Iceland with its first lady...

NPR
About this episode
There is an Icelandic word, sprakkar, that means outstanding women - and those women are at the heart of the book Secrets Of The Sprakkar: Iceland's Extraordinary Women And How They Are Changing The World. Iceland's first lady and author, Eliza Reid, interviewed women from all walks of life to find out what makes being a woman in Iceland so great. Reid told NPR's Leila Fadel that not everyone knows Iceland has topped the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Equality Index for the past 12 years, so she set out to change that.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Today
With novel 'Among Friends,' Hal Ebbott says he wanted to take friendship seriously
In Hal Ebbott's debut novel, Among Friends, two wealthy New York families are spending a weekend in the country. They've gotten together for decades – but one act ruptures their close ties. In today's episode, Ebbott tells Here & Now's Asma Khalid that he's drawn to story premise ... Show More
10m 39s
Yesterday
David Litt's new memoir is about finding common ground through surfing
Former Obama speechwriter David Litt and his brother-in-law, Matt, couldn't be more different. But during the pandemic, Matt taught Litt how to surf. The time they spent together out on the water created what Litt refers to as "neutral ground" – a space that isn't coded as libera ... Show More
9m 23s
Jul 8
In the new speculative novel 'Weepers,' mourning is outsourced to professionals
In Peter Mendelsund's novel Weepers, many in the world are concerned they'll be replaced by smart machines. But a cowboy poet named Ed has found work in the American Southwest. He's a professional weeper, part of a group of union workers hired to mourn at funerals. In today's epi ... Show More
8m 23s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2022
Iceland’s First Lady, Eliza Reid
The Canadian-born First Lady of Iceland, Eliza Reid joins Jann to talk about her book Secrets of the Sprakkar: Iceland's Extraordinary Women and How They Are Changing the World, a book about a tiny country leading gender equality world-wide. She inspires Jann, Sarah and Adam to h ... Show More
42m 33s
Jun 2022
Bonus: Secrets of the Sprakkar with Eliza Reid
As women’s rights are eroding in the United States, our Women’s Day Off (the Internet) is becoming increasingly necessary. While we plan it, we take one more look at Iceland as a model for how to build a better society for everyone and particularly for women. Luckily we don’t hav ... Show More
36m 9s
Sep 2018
Iceland: What Happened Next?
Iceland is a small island nation of just 340,000 people, but at the height of the global financial crisis in 2008, it was the scene of one of the biggest banking collapses in history.Ten years on the economy has recovered, thanks to the millions of tourists who now visit every ye ... Show More
50m 18s
Nov 2022
Why aren’t there more women in politics?
While female representation in politics has improved in recent years, gender parity remains a distant dream. Women comprise more than half of the global population but only 26 per cent of lawmakers around the world are female. Why aren’t there more women in politics? And what wil ... Show More
33m 11s
Aug 2022
How will Icelandic survive the digital age? | Far Flung
Today, an episode of Far Flung with Saleem Reshamwala, another podcast from the TED Audio Collective. Icelandic is an ancient and iconic language that inspired J.R.R. Tolkien when he wrote "The Lord of the Rings." But with the digital age, and the strict rules surrounding its gra ... Show More
42m 51s
Jan 2022
Weekend Woman's Hour: Sarah Ransome, Sheila Watt-Cloutier, Donna Ward
British woman Sarah Ransome says she wanted to be at Ghislaine Maxwell trial when it started: not to testify but to see justice take its course. Like the four women who gave evidence, she says she's also a victim of Epstein's and Maxwell's. She tells us more about her story and H ... Show More
57m 39s
Feb 2023
The Last Big Mac In Iceland
When Alexandra Yingst plopped down at a bar in Reykjavik after a 10-hour drive through a blizzard, she saw something unexpected: a Big Mac, in seemingly perfect condition, under a glass dome. It turns out that Big Mac tells us a lot about Iceland’s economy and national identity. ... Show More
27m 53s
Feb 2023
World Questions: Iceland
Iceland is known for its rugged wilderness, booming tourist industry and a high standard of living. But this small nation in the North Atlantic is not immune from the challenges facing the rest of the world. Rising inflation is making it harder for young people to afford a home o ... Show More
49m 46s
Dec 2023
Stories from the New Silk Road: Iceland
In 2013 Iceland made history by becoming the first European country to sign a free trade agreement with China. It was aimed at increasing exports from Iceland to China as well as opening up Iceland to cheaper Chinese consumer goods. Geothermal energy has meant that Iceland is eff ... Show More
27m 27s
Mar 2024
Helen Russell
UK author and journalist Helen Russell left her job in London as editor of Marie Clare and relocated to Jutland, Denmark, with her husband in 2013. What initially set out to be a year-long trip quickly turned into a decade. Her freelance career had seen her work as Scandinavia co ... Show More
28m 52s