-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Johanna Sigurdardottir was sworn in as Iceland 's prime minister on Sunday , becoming the world 's first openly gay premier and the first woman to take the post in Iceland . Johanna Sigurdardottir is a former flight attendant and union leader . Sigurdardottir , 66 , took office less than a week after the Cabinet resigned amid fallout from Iceland 's financial collapse . A former flight attendant who entered politics via the union movement , Sigurdardottir was minister of social affairs and social security in the outgoing Cabinet , which resigned Monday . Iceland has been in political turmoil since October , when its currency , stock market and leading banks collapsed amid the global financial crisis . The island nation 's Nordic neighbors sent billions of dollars to prop up the economy , as did the International Monetary Fund in its first intervention to support a Western European democracy in decades . But weekly demonstrations -- some verging on riots -- finally forced Prime Minister Geir Haarde and his coalition to resign en masse on January 26 . The country 's president turned to the Social Democratic Alliance party to form a new government , and they selected Sigurdardottir to lead it . She has been a member of Iceland 's Parliament for 30 years , and was in her second stint as minister of social affairs . She started her career as a flight attendant for the airline that became IcelandAir . She was active in the flight attendants ' labor union during her 11 years with the airline , according to her official resume . She briefly led her own political party , which merged with other center-left parties to form the Alliance party . Sigurdardottir is Iceland 's first female prime minister , although not the North Atlantic nation 's first female head of state -- Vigdis Finnbogadottir became its fourth president in 1980 . Sigurdardottir lists author and playwright Jonina Leosdottir , 54 , as her spouse on her ministry Web site . She has two children from an earlier marriage . Her prime ministership may be short-lived . The government she is forming is only due to last until the next elections , which must take place by May and could be held in April . A statement posted by the new government on Iceland 's Web site promised elections `` as soon as circumstances allow , '' and said the interim government `` will base itself on a very prudent and responsible policy in economic and fiscal matters . '' The statement added that the government will treat as priorities `` the principles of sustainable development , women 's rights , equality and justice . '' Stonewall , a leading British gay and lesbian rights group , welcomed Sigurdardottir 's appointment as a milestone . `` It really does matter . It is helpful '' to have an openly gay prime minister , said Gary Nunn , a Stonewall spokesperson . `` We are trying to foster the ambition that young people can be anything they want to be . ''