Icelandic Learning is a Gendered Health Issue Logan Lee Sigurðsson skrifar 1. apríl 2025 08:32 It is no secret that language barriers are one of the biggest challenges for all Icelanders of foreign origin. Iceland has the lowest self-reported host language proficiency for migrants among all OECD countries — just 18%, compared to the 60% average. Practical access barriers are commonly discussed, including course availability, quality, and high costs. However what is often missing from the conversation is just how learning Icelandic intersects with gender and health. Hidden Barriers: Language learning is labour, even if not often recognized as such. It demands time, focus, and emotional energy — resources not equally available to everyone. Unsurprisingly, the same barriers immigrant women face in the labour market — ie. disproportionate childcare and family responsibilities, health issues, cultural expectations etc. — likewise limit their ability to participate in Icelandic learning. Moreover, knowledge gaps around how trauma, grief, anxiety, and other integration stressors show up in classrooms in ways that language teachers are often not equipped to handle via generalized language teaching methods. Language learning for migrant learners uniquely can trigger and intensify complex issues of identity and belonging. Emotional and cognitive challenges — such as irritability, forgetfulness, sleep disturbances, emotional detachment, and negative self-image — can hinder one's ability to learn, yet are often misunderstood by both learners and educators. Well-meaning advice often offers, “Just be confident!” or “Get out and try more!”, with even some healthcare professionals approaching the matter more within the scope of general self-esteem issues. Yet deeper, multicultural factors are at play, such as dual-identity formation, coping with microaggressions, internalized discrimination, and all the invisible work and effort it takes to navigate an unfamiliar society. Studies further indicate women experience more second language anxiety, echoing broader trends in social anxiety. While Icelandic is obviously difficult for men too, unique gendered circumstances including: the emotional labor of relationship management, preservers of family reputation, more likely to be socialized to draw personal value and self image based on their relationships and how others see them, extra subjection to social policing, increased expectations of coming off as caring and polite pressuring careful tone and word choices etc. These factors raise the stakes of language expression differently for women. As a result, learning Icelandic becomes incredibly personal and isolating, leaving many women silently wondering, "What is wrong with me that makes this so hard?" The Results: With one of the highest migrant overqualification rates in the OECD — about 1 in 3 migrants are in mismatched jobs compared to 1 in 10 natives — Foreign women are especially affected as more likely to be overqualified and hold higher education than their male peers. For refugees, these gaps are even wider. Then their children — even those born and raised in Iceland — also face challenges, as they are disproportionately represented in the NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) category. Low parental income or unemployment — both correlating with immigrant families — play a major role in this. The weight and worry this can put on women, particularly as mothers hoping to offer their children better opportunities, is immeasurable. Hope for Change: W.O.M.E.N. offers this article as another perspective to language learning barriers. We see a critical need and opportunity to better support women of foreign origin and their families by exploring these topics further. Partnering with Kvíðameðferðarstöðin and multiple language schools this Spring and Summer, W.O.M.E.N. is conducting the Mállíðan (Mál / language + líðan / health) project funded by the Immigrant Development fund. Mállíðan offers wellbeing support alongside Icelandic courses for women of foreign origin; while together working to better understand these issues and identify best practices. If you are a woman of foreign origin this article has resonated with - you are not alone. We welcome you to visit our website for more information on courses from participating schools here: https://womeniniceland.is/en/mallidan/ The author is the Vice Chair of W.O.M.E.N. & Project Manager of Mállíðan Viltu birta grein á Vísi? Sendu okkur póst. Senda grein Íslensk tunga Mest lesið Óvandaður og einhliða fréttaflutningur RÚV af stríðinu á Gaza Birgir Finnsson Skoðun Hvað ef ég hjóla bara í vinnuna? Eiríkur Búi Halldórsson Skoðun Staðreyndir eða „mér finnst“ Birta Karen Tryggvadóttir Skoðun Ekki leiðrétting heldur skattahækkun: Afstaða Sjálfstæðisflokksins er skýr Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir Skoðun Í skugga kerfis sem brást! Harpa Hildiberg Böðvarsdóttir Skoðun Frídagar í klemmu Jón Júlíus Karlsson Skoðun Fasteignaviðskipti – tímabært að endurskoða leikreglurnar? Hlynur Júlísson Skoðun Palestína er að verja sig, ekki öfugt Stefán Guðbrandsson Skoðun Lýðræði á ystu nöf: Hver er afstaða unga fólksins? Jonas Hammer Skoðun Fjármagna áfram hernað Rússlands Hjörtur J. Guðmundsson Skoðun Skoðun Skoðun Hagsmunir heildarinnar - Kafli tvö: Eiskrandi kröfur Hannes Örn Blandon skrifar Skoðun Palestína er að verja sig, ekki öfugt Stefán Guðbrandsson skrifar Skoðun Óvandaður og einhliða fréttaflutningur RÚV af stríðinu á Gaza Birgir Finnsson skrifar Skoðun Lýðræði á ystu nöf: Hver er afstaða unga fólksins? Jonas Hammer skrifar Skoðun Hvað ef ég hjóla bara í vinnuna? Eiríkur Búi Halldórsson skrifar Skoðun Litlu ljósin á Gaza Guðbrandur Einarsson skrifar Skoðun Ekki leiðrétting heldur skattahækkun: Afstaða Sjálfstæðisflokksins er skýr Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Staðreyndir eða „mér finnst“ Birta Karen Tryggvadóttir skrifar Skoðun Fjármagna áfram hernað Rússlands Hjörtur J. Guðmundsson skrifar Skoðun Frídagar í klemmu Jón Júlíus Karlsson skrifar Skoðun Fasteignaviðskipti – tímabært að endurskoða leikreglurnar? Hlynur Júlísson skrifar Skoðun Í skugga kerfis sem brást! Harpa Hildiberg Böðvarsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Jöfn vernd fyrir öll börn í veröldinni Gunnar Hersveinn skrifar Skoðun Helför Palestínumanna í beinni útsendingu – viljum við vera samsek? Ólafur Ingólfsson skrifar Skoðun Byggð í Norðvesturkjördæmi: lífæð framtíðar Íslands Ragnar Rögnvaldsson skrifar Skoðun Hverju hef ég stjórn á? Álfheiður Ingólfsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Metnaður eða metnaðarleysi? Sumarrós Sigurðardóttir skrifar Skoðun „Þetta er allt í vinnslu“ María Pétursdóttir skrifar Skoðun Arðsemi og tilgangur - eitt útilokar ekki annað Elva Rakel Jónsdóttir,Erla Ósk Ásgeirsdottir skrifar Skoðun Iðnaðarstefna – stökkpallur inn í næsta hagvaxtarskeið Sigurður Hannesson skrifar Skoðun Hættum að bregðast íslensku hryssunni Rósa Líf Darradóttir skrifar Skoðun Börnin bíða meðan lausnin stendur auð Álfhildur Leifsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Áður en það verður of seint María Rut Kristinsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Lygin lekur niður á hökuna Jón Daníelsson skrifar Skoðun Líflínan Ingibjörg Isaksen skrifar Skoðun Ríkisfyrirtæki sem virðir ekki æðsta valdið Bryndís Haraldsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Neikvæðni í garð sjávarútvegs á Íslandi – orsakir og afleiðingar Kristín Þórarinsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Við erum hafið Guillaume Bazard skrifar Skoðun Deja Vu Sverrir Agnarsson skrifar Skoðun Mun mannkynið lifa af gervigreindina? Björgmundur Örn Guðmundsson skrifar Sjá meira
It is no secret that language barriers are one of the biggest challenges for all Icelanders of foreign origin. Iceland has the lowest self-reported host language proficiency for migrants among all OECD countries — just 18%, compared to the 60% average. Practical access barriers are commonly discussed, including course availability, quality, and high costs. However what is often missing from the conversation is just how learning Icelandic intersects with gender and health. Hidden Barriers: Language learning is labour, even if not often recognized as such. It demands time, focus, and emotional energy — resources not equally available to everyone. Unsurprisingly, the same barriers immigrant women face in the labour market — ie. disproportionate childcare and family responsibilities, health issues, cultural expectations etc. — likewise limit their ability to participate in Icelandic learning. Moreover, knowledge gaps around how trauma, grief, anxiety, and other integration stressors show up in classrooms in ways that language teachers are often not equipped to handle via generalized language teaching methods. Language learning for migrant learners uniquely can trigger and intensify complex issues of identity and belonging. Emotional and cognitive challenges — such as irritability, forgetfulness, sleep disturbances, emotional detachment, and negative self-image — can hinder one's ability to learn, yet are often misunderstood by both learners and educators. Well-meaning advice often offers, “Just be confident!” or “Get out and try more!”, with even some healthcare professionals approaching the matter more within the scope of general self-esteem issues. Yet deeper, multicultural factors are at play, such as dual-identity formation, coping with microaggressions, internalized discrimination, and all the invisible work and effort it takes to navigate an unfamiliar society. Studies further indicate women experience more second language anxiety, echoing broader trends in social anxiety. While Icelandic is obviously difficult for men too, unique gendered circumstances including: the emotional labor of relationship management, preservers of family reputation, more likely to be socialized to draw personal value and self image based on their relationships and how others see them, extra subjection to social policing, increased expectations of coming off as caring and polite pressuring careful tone and word choices etc. These factors raise the stakes of language expression differently for women. As a result, learning Icelandic becomes incredibly personal and isolating, leaving many women silently wondering, "What is wrong with me that makes this so hard?" The Results: With one of the highest migrant overqualification rates in the OECD — about 1 in 3 migrants are in mismatched jobs compared to 1 in 10 natives — Foreign women are especially affected as more likely to be overqualified and hold higher education than their male peers. For refugees, these gaps are even wider. Then their children — even those born and raised in Iceland — also face challenges, as they are disproportionately represented in the NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) category. Low parental income or unemployment — both correlating with immigrant families — play a major role in this. The weight and worry this can put on women, particularly as mothers hoping to offer their children better opportunities, is immeasurable. Hope for Change: W.O.M.E.N. offers this article as another perspective to language learning barriers. We see a critical need and opportunity to better support women of foreign origin and their families by exploring these topics further. Partnering with Kvíðameðferðarstöðin and multiple language schools this Spring and Summer, W.O.M.E.N. is conducting the Mállíðan (Mál / language + líðan / health) project funded by the Immigrant Development fund. Mállíðan offers wellbeing support alongside Icelandic courses for women of foreign origin; while together working to better understand these issues and identify best practices. If you are a woman of foreign origin this article has resonated with - you are not alone. We welcome you to visit our website for more information on courses from participating schools here: https://womeniniceland.is/en/mallidan/ The author is the Vice Chair of W.O.M.E.N. & Project Manager of Mállíðan
Ekki leiðrétting heldur skattahækkun: Afstaða Sjálfstæðisflokksins er skýr Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir Skoðun
Skoðun Ekki leiðrétting heldur skattahækkun: Afstaða Sjálfstæðisflokksins er skýr Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir skrifar
Skoðun Helför Palestínumanna í beinni útsendingu – viljum við vera samsek? Ólafur Ingólfsson skrifar
Skoðun Arðsemi og tilgangur - eitt útilokar ekki annað Elva Rakel Jónsdóttir,Erla Ósk Ásgeirsdottir skrifar
Skoðun Neikvæðni í garð sjávarútvegs á Íslandi – orsakir og afleiðingar Kristín Þórarinsdóttir skrifar
Ekki leiðrétting heldur skattahækkun: Afstaða Sjálfstæðisflokksins er skýr Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir Skoðun