On 24 October 1975, Icelandic women went on strike for the whole day to demonstrate the indispensable work of women for Iceland’s economy and society and to protest against wage discrepancy and unfair employment practices. It was publicized domestically as ‘Women’s Day Off’ (Icelandic: ‘Kvennafrídagurinn’). Led by women’s organizations, the participants did not go to their paid jobs and did not do any housework or child-rearing for the whole day: 90% of Iceland’s female population participated in the strike. As a result, the following year Iceland’s parliament passed a law guaranteeing equal pay. On 24 October 2023, 48 years after the first all-day Icelandic women’s strike of 1975, a new one took place, in order to draw attention to the gender pay gap and violence against women, attracting a wide range of international attention. Among the participants was Iceland’s prime minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir, who set a goal of achieving “full gender equality” in the country by 2030.
The following is an excerpt from a University of Glasgow course currently offered by the Futurelearn platform:
“The Icelandic Women’s Strike took place on 24th October 1975. The strike called for all women in Iceland to take the day off. The aim of the strike was to emphasise that women’s work was socially and economically indispensable yet often undervalued. Having originated as an idea among the Icelandic feminist movement known as the Redstocking or Rauðsokkahreyfingin in 1970, the Women’s Strike was organised five years later by women belonging to the country’s political parties, feminist and women’s movement groups, and professional women’s organisations. In the lead up to the protest women from these diverse backgrounds formed The Committee for the Women’s Day Off, which was responsible for carrying out the strike. The Committee drew up a list of demands touching on a range of issues. These included unfair gendered hiring practices, the lack of woman representatives in the Icelandic Trade Union Congress, and farmer’s wives not being accepted as full members of the Icelandic Farmer’s Union. The Committee also demanded that childcare be made more accessible and affordable, and that the work women did within the home be valued as part of the labour market. By the 1970s approximately half of working aged women in Iceland were gainfully employed in Iceland, however they faced significant wage disparity relative to men and had limited opportunities for advancement in the workplace. The strike quickly gained international attention.”
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