Iceland Prime Minister Joins Women Strike over Gender Pay Gap
Tens of thousands of women in Iceland, including Prime Minister KatrÃn Jakobsdóttir, are refusing to work today.
The women’s day off, has been called in protest at the gender pay gap and gender-based violence.
Women and non-binary people have been urged to refuse paid and unpaid work on Tuesday, including household chores.
The Prime Minister ahead of women’s day said she will not work today, and expect all the women [in her cabinet to join her in the protest.
Ms. Jakobsdóttir said her government is looking into how female-dominated professions are valued, in comparison to fields traditionally dominated by men.
Around 90% of Iceland’s female workforce went on strike in 1975, seeking to highlight the importance of women to the economy.
The strike prompted the country’s parliament to pass an equal pay law the following year.
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Iceland is seen as one of the most progressive in the world in terms of gender equality and has topped the World Economic Forum’s gender gap index 14 years in a row.
No nation has achieved full gender equality, according to the index, but Iceland has closed at least 91% of its gap and is the only country to have passed 90%.
However, women in some jobs there still earn at least 20% less than their male colleagues, Statistics Iceland has said.
A study by the University of Iceland also found 40% of Icelandic women experience gender-based and sexual violence in their lifetime.
Strike organiser Freyja SteingrÃmsdóttir, of the Icelandic Federation for Public Workers, said: “We’re seeking to bring attention to the fact that we’re called an equality paradise, but there are still gender disparities and urgent need for action.
“Female-led professions such as healthcare services and childcare are still undervalued and much lower paid.”
Industries where women make up the majority of workers, like healthcare and education, will be especially affected.
The first Women’s Day Off took place on 24 October, 1975 , when 90% of Icelandic women stopped work to protest gender inequality and it has been repeated in 1985, 2005, 2010, 2016 and 2018.
