Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir
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Official portrait, 2009–2013
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| 28th Prime Minister of Iceland | |
| In office 1 February 2009 – 23 May 2013 |
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| President | Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson |
| Preceded by | Geir Haarde |
| Succeeded by | Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson |
| Minister of Social Affairs and Social Security | |
| In office 24 May 2007 – 1 February 2009 |
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| Prime Minister | Geir Haarde |
| Preceded by | Magnús Stefánsson (Social Affairs) Siv Friðleifsdóttir (Health and Social Security) |
| Succeeded by | Ásta Ragnheiður Jóhannesdóttir |
| In office 8 July 1987 – 24 June 1994 |
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| Prime Minister |
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| Preceded by | Alexander Stefánsson |
| Succeeded by | Guðmundur Árni Stefánsson |
| Member of the Althing | |
| In office 25 June 1978 – 27 April 2013 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 October 1942 Reykjavík, Kingdom of Iceland |
| Political party | Social Democratic Party (Before 1994) National Awakening (1994–2000) Social Democratic Alliance (2000–present) |
| Spouses |
Þorvaldur Steinar Jóhannesson
(m. 1970; div. 1987)Jónína Leósdóttir
(m. 2010) |
| Children |
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Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir (born 4 October 1942) is an Icelandic politician. She made history as the prime minister of Iceland from 2009 to 2013.
Jóhanna was a member of the Althing (Iceland's parliament) for many years, from 1978 to 2013. She also served as Iceland's Minister of Social Affairs and Social Security twice. The first time was from 1987 to 1994, and then again from 2007 to 2009.
In 2009, Jóhanna became Iceland's first female prime minister. She was also the world's first openly LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) head of government in modern times. Forbes magazine even named her one of the 100 most powerful women in the world in 2009.
Contents
Early Life and Work
Jóhanna was born in Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland. Her father was Sigurður Egill Ingimundarson. She went to the Commercial College of Iceland, where she earned a diploma in 1960.
After college, she worked as a flight attendant for Icelandic Airlines from 1962 to 1971. This airline later became Icelandair. From 1971 to 1978, she worked as an office manager. Jóhanna was also active in trade unions, which are groups that protect workers' rights. She led the Icelandic Cabin Crew Association in 1966 and 1969.
Political Journey
Jóhanna was first elected to the Althing in 1978. She quickly became an important figure in parliament. She served as the deputy speaker of the Althing in 1979 and again from 1983 to 1984.
She was also the Minister of Social Affairs in four different governments between 1987 and 1994. In 1994, she tried to become the leader of her political party, the Social Democratic Party, but she didn't win.
After that, she famously declared, "Minn tími mun koma!" which means "My time will come!" This phrase became very well-known in Iceland. She then started her own party called National Awakening. Later, her party joined with others to form the Social Democratic Alliance.
Becoming Prime Minister
In January 2009, the previous government in Iceland resigned because of a big financial crisis. After this, Jóhanna was asked to lead a new government. People trusted her because she was very popular and had good relationships with other political parties.
She became prime minister on 1 February 2009. Her government was a team-up between the Social Democratic Alliance and the Left-Green Movement.
Leading During the Financial Crisis
Iceland faced a big financial crisis around 2008. Many people protested, which led to the government changing. Jóhanna's new government worked to fix the country's economy.
In 2009, a new election was held. Jóhanna's party and its partners won a majority of seats in the Althing. This meant they had strong support to continue leading Iceland.
One of the challenges was dealing with the Icesave bank debts. There were two public votes, called referendums, in 2010 and 2011 about how to pay back these debts. Both times, the public voted "no" to the proposed repayment plans.
New Constitution Efforts
After Jóhanna's government came to power, they wanted to update Iceland's Constitution. They believed that citizens should be involved in this important process.
Many citizens had already been protesting and asking for changes. So, the government decided to involve people directly. In 2009, a "National Forum" was held where 1,200 randomly chosen citizens discussed ideas for a new constitution.
This led to a special "Constitutional Council" being formed. Twenty-five people, not connected to political parties, were chosen to draft a new constitution. In 2011, they presented their ideas to the parliament.
In 2012, the parliament voted to hold a public vote on this new constitution draft. This showed a strong effort to make the government more open and responsive to its people.
Promoting Women's Rights
Jóhanna's government also took important steps for women's rights. ..... This was the first ban of its kind in a Western country.
Jóhanna said that Nordic countries like Iceland are leaders in treating women equally. She believed that women should be seen as equal citizens, not as something to be sold. She also worked to close the pay gap between men and women.
Personal Life
Jóhanna married Þorvaldur Steinar Jóhannesson in 1970. They had two sons, Sigurður Egill Þorvaldsson and Davíð Steinar Þorvaldsson. They later divorced in 1987.
In 2002, Jóhanna entered a civil union with Jónína Leósdóttir, who is an author. A civil union is a legal partnership similar to marriage.
In 2010, when same-sex marriage became legal in Iceland, Jóhanna and Jónína changed their civil union into a marriage. They were one of the first same-sex married couples in Iceland.
In 2017, Jóhanna wrote a book about her life called Minn tími ("My Time"). The book talks about her time leading Iceland, especially during the financial crisis and the protests that followed.
See also
In Spanish: Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir para niños
- List of elected and appointed female heads of state and government
- List of the first LGBT holders of political offices
- List of openly LGBT heads of government
