Iceland is about to witness something unprecedented: a nation-wide women’s strike. This remarkable event is being organized to protest the existing gender gap in pay and other areas of gender discrimination.
The strike is set to begin at 2:38PM GMT on October 24th. This is an oddly specific time but a symbolic gesture, as it marks the exact moment that Icelandic women began to make strides in their fight for equality exactly 25 years ago. According to reports, all public transportation will halt and businesses will also close in solidarity with the strike.
In addition to the thousands of women taking part in the strike, the current Prime Minister of Iceland, Katrin Jakobsdottir, is among the leaders of the movement. Ms. Jakobsdottir is committed to seeing the wage gap between men and women in her country closed and has provided a strong voice for gender equality in recent years.
This is not the first time that Icelandic women have mobilized together to take a stand. In 1975, a similar event known as “The Long Friday” took place, when 90% of Icelandic women refused to work, shop or even look after their families so that they could make their voices heard. This strike is thought to have been a key factor in the Icelandic government agreeing to grant women the right to vote in 1982.
The organizers of this latest movement remain hopeful that the strike will bring about the same kind of widespread change that the “Long Friday” did almost 45 years ago. The participants are pushing for better conditions in the workplace and greater investment in social services that benefit women.
Whether or not the strike ends up having a significant impact remains to be seen. But whatever the outcome, it seems clear that the women of Iceland are more determined than ever to tackle the injustices they face and fight for true equality.
