In the absence of flight attendants, flights were cancelled; a lack of childcare led to children staying home from school, and the absence of teachers forced schools to close. When women refused to work, the entire country came to a standstill.
This blog will provide a comprehensive account of the 1975 women’s strike in Iceland, which aimed to combat the gender wage gap. It will delve into the origins of the strike, its unfolding events, the pivotal role of women in the economy, and strategies for effecting change.
What really happened?
In 1944, Iceland achieved its independence from Denmark, marking the birth of a parliamentary democracy. The political landscape was dominated by ‘The Conservative Independence Party,’ which held power for two decades. During this time, the party upheld laws that perpetuated gender inequality, especially within the workforce.
As a consequence, by the 1970s, Icelandic women found themselves relegated to the most impoverished and underpaid jobs, often forced to withdraw from the labour force to tend to their homes.
Years of conservative policies, oppression, and silence eventually gave rise to an extraordinary force — the radical feminist group known as ‘The Redstockings.’ This group courageously embarked on a journey to resist the prevailing inequality, employing a series of innovative strategies that would ignite change.
My cousin once told me that perception can be more influential than reality itself. When I delved into the story of the women’s strike in Iceland, I realized how this concept played out. Initially, The Redstockings’ proposal for a strike met resistance from many Icelandic women who deemed it too confrontational.
However, when the group cleverly rebranded it as “Women’s Day Off,” the movement garnered almost universal support. Instead of tending to household chores and childcare, these women took to the streets of Iceland in unity, determined to make a powerful statement: they were every bit as human as men and would not accept inferior treatment.
Fathers found themselves with no choice but to bring their children to work, as banks, factories, nurseries, schools, and numerous shops closed their doors. Reports depicted fathers trying to entertain their kids with coloured pencils and sweets, while stores ran out of sausages — a convenient and beloved choice among children.
The turning point arrived when Iceland passed the groundbreaking Gender Equality Act of 1976.
Shortly thereafter, the gender wage gap in Iceland plummeted from a staggering 40% to a mere 9.7%. This remarkable transformation owed its success to the Women’s Day Off movement and the courageous women who stepped out of their comfort zones, securing their position as equal human beings alongside men.
How does women’s participation make Iceland stand out?
The younger generation of Iceland grew up with a unique belief: that the role of the president was a job meant for a woman. This transformative shift began in November of 1980 when Vigdís Finnbogadóttir was elected as Iceland’s president. Her historic win secured her the title of Iceland’s president and earned her the distinction of becoming Europe’s first female president and the world’s first woman to be democratically elected as a head of state. Miss Vigdís served in this prestigious position for an impressive sixteen years and played a pivotal role in shaping Iceland into what is often hailed as “the world’s most feminist country.”
Through a combination of exceptional laws, progressive policies, and, most importantly, extraordinary leadership, Iceland has risen to become one of the world’s most esteemed nations today.
Seeking Change
Discovering that there’s no place on the globe where women are paid equally to men fills me with absolute disgust. In her book ‘Seeing Like A Feminist,’ Nivedita Menon highlights how most employers pay women less than men for the same job, based on the assumption that women have husbands to manage their finances, whereas men must support their families.
Celebrating International Women’s Day every year in March seems pointless when much of the world struggles to view women as equal human beings. Holding a door open for your wife is contradictory if you perceive your work as legitimate and hers as a mere hobby. Above all, it’s disheartening when individuals pretend to care about women during elections while ignoring the country’s below-average gender wage gap.
I’ve always learned the importance of financial independence for women from independent women and enlightened men. Little did I know that even after achieving financial independence, women, and indeed all of us, would have to wage a new battle. It’s high time we dismantle the patriarchal pillars of our world and raise our voices against gender-based pay disparities.
Let’s promote salary transparency so that employees are aware of wage discrepancies and can negotiate fairly. As employers, it’s time to be genuinely fair, abide by equitable policies, and raise awareness through mentorship and training programs. It’s ironic to pay women insufficiently and then complain about them being gold diggers.
I don’t want to live in a world where I’m not afforded the same visibility as every other man or where I’ll be paid less than him. I’ve had enough, and so have the women of this generation, as well as those before us, going back in time. Someone long ago marched for our better future, and it’s time we continue marching for the same cause.