Thousands of Icelandic women demonstrated in the streets. Not since the 70s have there been similar protests for women’s issues. Iceland’s most powerful woman, Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir, is among those taking part. She has also encouraged other government employees to stop working. – I intend to withdraw to show solidarity with women. It is of course an incredible situation in 2023 that we still have a gender-based pay gap, says Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir to Vísir. CAUSES ATTENTION: Iceland’s Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir has received international attention because she is participating in the general strike. Photo: Håkon Mosvold Larsen / NTB In an interview with national broadcaster RÚV on Tuesday, she said the fight for equality is going too slowly. – We have had the same pace for 300 years. It is not at all common for heads of state to go on strike. Newspapers such as the New York Times, BBC and The Guardian have all covered the stunt. Slogans: On the posters are written: “Fuck off patriarchy”, “Safety for all”, “Stop the silence”, “Care is tiring work” and “Calm down, woman”. Photo: RÚV Hits schools and TV broadcasts The strike lasts for 24 hours from midnight on Tuesday to midnight on Wednesday. It affects large parts of Icelandic society, writes national broadcaster RÚV. These are some of the consequences: Kindergartens and primary schools are closed in most places Hospitals only take urgent assignments Almost all bank branches are closed Reduction in public services Limited bus services Cuts in TV and radio broadcasts from RÚV INEVITABLE: Hospital employees who are not allowed to participate in the strike display posters with the slogan #indispensable. Photo: RÚV RÚV has spoken to several Icelandic women on the street, and they consistently reply that they plan to strike on the occasion of the day. – There has never been any doubt about that. We are encouraged to do so by the employer, says Sigurbjörg Unnur Guðmundsdóttir to the channel. Dagný Broddadóttir will also strike on Tuesday. She is not alone in this at her workplace, Fjölbreytaskólinn í Garðabæ. – I think there is great support for this, both among students and teachers, she says. BIG DISRUPTION: Dagný Broddadóttir is one of the many employees at a school in Garðabær who are going on strike. Photo: RÚV Making women’s contribution visible The 40 organizations behind the general strike will direct the spotlight on the pay gap between women and men and gender-based violence. They believe that nearly 50 years of fighting for equality have not led and that women’s contribution to society, both in paid work and in the home, is not recognised. The organizers point out that typical female occupations are paid less than other occupations. – If we take the leap and manage to rectify this, we will take a big step towards removing the pay gap between the sexes, says Sonja Ýr Þorbergsdóttir, leader of the trade union movement BSRB to Morgunblaðið. THE WOMEN ARE GONE: This is what it looked like in the teacher’s room at Seljaskóli elementary school in Reykjavík on Tuesday morning. The school has a high proportion of male teachers and is among the few schools that remain open during the strike. Photo: Ævar Örn Jósepsson / RÚV Asking women to drop work at home Icelandic women are encouraged to drop all work at home while the strike lasts. The demonstrators want to highlight the work that goes into housework and the so-called “third shift”. The term refers to the somewhat invisible work of organizing the home and family. It could be following up on children’s leisure activities, buying clothes and arranging birthdays. Sonja Ýr Þorbergsdóttir tells Morgunblaðið that she hopes Tuesday’s strike will be even bigger than the general strike on Women’s Day in 1975. WOMEN’S STRUGGLE: This is what it looked like in the streets of Reykjavík during Women’s Day in 1975, when thousands of women demonstrated for equal pay. Photo: RÚV Then nine out of ten women in Iceland demonstrated against pay differences between the sexes, and for the importance of women in the labor market.
ttn-69
The prime minister in Iceland is on strike for higher wages for women – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
