[2]: 41  The following year, her younger brother Þorvaldur was born; he did not survive to adulthood, as he drowned in Hreðavatn.

[4] She studied English and French literature, giving special emphasis to plays,[2]: 41  and she graduated in 1953.

[4] Vigdís participated in the anti-military rallies that took place in the 1960s and 1970s, protesting the United States military presence in Iceland.

[4] Vigdís taught French lessons on television for RÚV beginning in 1972, making her a well known figure throughout the nation.

[5] She became a member of the Advisory Committee on Cultural Affairs in the Nordic Countries in 1976, and she became the organisation's chair in 1978.

[6] During her campaign, her anti-military position and her opposition to a United States presence in Iceland led to allegations that she was sympathetic to communism.

[7] Vigdís ran for president to prove that women were able to lead political campaigns, and she did not expect to win.

[2]: 42  Vigdís was the first woman to ever be democratically elected as a head of state in any country, taking office on 1 August 1980 as the fourth president of Iceland.

The decision Vigdís considered "the most difficult episode" of her career took place in 1994 during the debate on joining the European Economic Area.

In 2016, she expressed her desire for the United States and Russia to visit Iceland to resolve their differences through discussion as they did during the Reykjavík Summit.