A women-only strike that will fold its arms across the country, both in paid work and at home, to demand an end to gender discrimination and wage inequality. This means tomorrow, “Kallarðu shetta jafnrétti?” It will take place in Iceland, where tens of thousands of islanders and non-binary people, united by the slogan, are expected to stop working in the first strike of its kind in almost half a century. (Do you call this equality?). Among them will be the prime minister, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, who has decided to join the initiative.
As the Guardian explains, organizers hope the women’s strike will draw attention to the country’s pay gap compared to men and widespread sexual and gender-based violence. This kind of incident had already happened in 1975; 90% of Icelandic women refused to work as part of “kvennafrí” (women’s day off), leading to a movement that resulted in the election of Iceland’s first female president. a country in the world. 48 years later, many demands of this protest remain unanswered. Although Icelanders are seen as global leaders on gender equality, topping the 2023 World Economic Forum’s global gender inequality rankings for the 14th consecutive year, many challenges remain.
“They talk about us, they talk about Iceland as if it were a haven for equality,” said Freyja Steingrímsdóttir, communications director for the Icelandic Public Employees Federation BSRB, one of the organizers of the strike. “But for a haven of equality there should be no 21% pay gap and 40% of women should not experience sexual or gender-based violence in their lives. This is not what women around the world are fighting for.” Steingrímsdóttir said Iceland had a responsibility “to ensure we meet those expectations” because of the global reputation it enjoys.
On Tuesday, women and non-binary people across the country were urged not to do any paid or unpaid work, including chores at home, “to demonstrate the importance of their contribution to society.” At least 25,000 people are expected to attend an event in central Reykjavík, with many more attending 10 other events across the country, making this the largest women’s strike in Iceland. Announcing her involvement, Jakobsdóttir said she expected the prime minister’s office to stop working. “First of all, with this strike I show solidarity with Icelandic women,” she told Mbl.is.
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Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
