In Iceland, women, including the Prime Minister, strike for equal pay

Thousands of women, including Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir, stopped work in Iceland on Tuesday, October 24, to demand equal pay and protest against violence against women, according to the organizers of the movement. “On October 24, all women in Iceland, including immigrant women, are encouraged not to work”they write on their site, for this day called “Kvennafrí” (“Free day for women”).

A large rally began at 2 p.m. in Reykjavik, the capital. “For the entire day, women will strike to demonstrate the importance of their contribution to society”, add the organizers, specifying that non-binary people were also called to participate in the movement. The strikers expect men to take over the unpaid day’s work that often falls to women.

The most equal country in the world

This day has been organized six times since 1975 in Iceland, but this is only the second time that the strike will be observed all day. In this country of nearly 400,000 inhabitants, several thousand women are expected to participate on Tuesday. Even the Icelandic Prime Minister, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, is taking part. “She will not carry out her official duties…and the cabinet meeting scheduled for today has been postponed until tomorrow,” his office said.

Iceland has been the most equal country in the world for 14 years according to the World Economic Forum (WEF), which takes into account criteria such as salaries, education level and health system. In the country, the average wage gap between men and women was 10.2% in 2021, according to the national statistics agency.