Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir, are refusing to work on Tuesday."
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-67195224
Some excerpts:
Iceland has been ranked the best country in the world for gender equality by the World Economic Forum (WEF) for 14 years in a row. But the country is not completely equal, with the WEF assigning it an overall score of 91.2%.
"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," said Freyja Steingrimsdottir, one of the strike organisers, in quotes cited by Reuters news agency.
"The theory was that the more gender equality, the less violence. That unfortunately does not seem to be the case," she said, adding: "Violence against women is deeply rooted in our culture."
Former Icelandic president Vigdís Finnbogadóttir told the BBC in 2015 that the 1975 strike was "the first step for women's emancipation in Iceland," which paved the way for her to become the first woman to be democratically elected head of state in the world in 1980.
http://www.reuters.com/world/europe/icelandic-women-24-hour-strike-over-inequality-2023-10-24/
REYKJAVIK, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Icelandic women went on a 24-hour strike on Tuesday over gender inequality, including the prime minister, who said the fight for equal treatment was moving far too slowly at home and abroad.
"Looking at the whole world, it could take 300 years to achieve gender equality," Jakobsdottir told the Ras 1 public radio station.
The strike was called to protest gaps in pay compared to men and gender-based violence, as well as to highlight unpaid work such as childcare that often falls on women, organisers said.
"We are celebrating ... our foremothers, our role models for equality," said Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir, 58, an Icelandic lawmaker. "We need equality, we need justice, we need freedom, so this is a message here from Iceland, we have to stand together."
With a population of less than 400,000, Iceland is regarded as one of the world's most progressive countries in terms of gender equality and has topped the World Economic Forum's gender gap index 14 years in a row. |
