Women In Iceland Join In A Massive 24-Hour Strike Protesting Gender Inequity Including the Prime Minister Herself
Date : 24th October, 2023
Location: Reykjavic, Iceland
THE SOIL – Tens of thousands of Icelandic women participated in a massive 24-hour strike on Tuesday to protest gender inequity; the prime minister herself joined the campaign. The Prime Minister voiced her dissatisfaction with the slow rate of advancement towards gender equality on the national and international fronts.
All around the small island nation, public libraries and schools were forced to close or operate with shortened hours because they did not have any female staff, and hospitals declared that they would only treat emergency patients.
Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir Declared To Leaving Her Job
Taking part in the protest, 47-year-old Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir announced that she will be leaving her job on Tuesday.
“If we look at the world as a whole, it might take three centuries to achieve gender parity,” Jakobsdottir said on Ras 1 public radio.
The strike was started to protest gender-based violence as well as pay differences between women and men. Furthermore, as stated by the organisers, it was intended to draw attention to the underpaid work that often burdens women, particularly in the area of childcare.
"Is this your idea of fairness?"
Under the slogan “Is this your idea of fairness?”, this protest, which is made up of Icelandic women and non-binary people, is the first full-day work stoppage since the first women’s meeting nearly fifty years ago. Shockingly, ninety percent of Icelandic women abstained from their responsibilities in 1975 to express their concerns about gender inequality.
Iceland, which has a population of less than 400,000, is undoubtedly regarded as one of the world’s leading countries in terms of gender equality. It has achieved the highest ranking on the World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Index for 14 years running.
According to Statistics Iceland, there is a minimum 20% salary difference between Icelandic women and men in several industries and professions.
70,000 to 100,000 People Were There
Local media sources reported that between 70,000 and 100,000 people were there.
According to a recent study by the University of Iceland, 40 percent of Icelandic women have experienced sexual and gender-based violence at some point in their lives.