The Day Women Shut Down Iceland (again)
The women of the world should learn from the women of Iceland.
In 1975, 90% of Iceland’s women went on strike to protest against discrimination in the workplace and demand equal pay.
The strike was called Women’s Day Off (Kvennafrídagurinn) and was publicised domestically to demonstrate the indispensable work of women for Iceland’s economy and society. Participants, led by women’s organizations, did not go to their paid jobs and did not do any housework or child-rearing for the whole day, bringing the country to a standstill.
The strike was a pivotal moment in the women’s rights struggle and led to Iceland passing a law guaranteeing equal rights irrespective of gender in 1976. In 2018, lawmakers went further, obliging companies to prove they are not paying women less than men.
However, despite these achievements, women in Iceland still earn about 14% less than men, and gender segregation in the labour market remains persistent. In 2018, 2.8% of women aged 15-49 years reported that they had been subject to physical and/or sexual violence by a current or former intimate partner in the previous 12 months.
On October 24, 2023, women across the country went on strike again to push for an end to unequal pay and gender-based violence, as well as to highlight unpaid work such as childcare that often falls on women. The strike was organised by Iceland’s trade unions (about 90% of Icelandic workers belong to a union), and women and nonbinary people were called on to refuse both paid and unpaid work, including household chores, for the day. Iceland’s prime minister, Katrin Jakobsdóttir, and other women in her Cabinet also participated in the strike.
It’s a powerful reminder of the impact that can be made when people come together to demand change.
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