Icelandic women go on strike for gender equality
Thousands of women in Iceland went on strike Tuesday to call attention to issues related to gender inequality.
lellens
This Tuesday, thousands of women across Iceland went on strike in an effort to highlight the continued gender disparity faced by many women both in the country and around the world.
This isn't the first time Iceland women have organized like this. The first Women's Day Off occured in October 1975, and the strike this week was the seventh such strike in the name of gender equality. Focusing specifically on the gender pay gap and gender-based violence, the strike hoped to call attention to these issues within the country of Iceland.
Thousands of female employees stayed home, causing widespread school cancellations, bank branch closures, and medical care only for emergencies. The Icelandic media service reporting on the strike even commented that their coverage was reduced due to the absence of their female staff. The most notable participant in the strike was Iceland's female Prime Minister, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, who cancelled her meetings and official duties for the day in solidarity with the strikes.
Iceland is already ranked as one of the most gender-equal societies in the globe, with the World Economic Forum stating they've closed 91.2% of the gender pay gap. Despite having already made significant strides in achieving gender equality, Iceland and its female citizens remain committed to achiving full gender equality in a timely manner.
