Thousands of women joined this Tuesday in Iceland in what is the first general strike in 48 years to demand an end to the wage gap and demand complete equality between men and women.
The day of protests has started with several rallies in a dozen cities across the country, such as the city of Akureyri, in the north, where hundreds of people have gathered to show their solidarity with the cause.
In Reykjavik, the capital, there have already been some marches around Hverfisgatu Avenue ahead of the protest scheduled for midday on Arnarhol Street, also central, according to information from the Icelandic newspaper ‘Visir’.
Previously, groups of women have taken to the streets on the island of HrÃsey to demand equality and respect within the framework of the events organized throughout the day, which will be attended by around 10,000 people, according to data from the organization.
The country’s Prime Minister, Katrin Jakobsdottir, and several members of her Cabinet, such as the Minister of Justice, Gudrun Hafsteinsdottir, and the Minister of Culture, Lilja Alfredsdottir, have joined the strike. In addition, the Government has announced an allocation of 10 million crowns (about 67,000 euros) to a dozen equality projects, as stated on its own website.
For their part, women in the fishing, teaching and health sectors have also joined the strike, so the country could be largely paralyzed, at least for a few hours.
The country’s president, Guoni Thorlacius Johannesson, has stressed that “women’s activism continues to change society for the better” and has recalled the great march of 1975, which led to Vigdis Finnbogadottir being elected president in 1980, becoming the first female leader. of State of History.
The first lady, Eliza Reid, noted that “women and non-binary people in Iceland have stopped working today to demonstrate the importance of women’s contribution to society.” “It is the seventh strike, the first involving a full-day general strike since 1975, when 90 percent of Icelandic women decided not to go to work. Almost half a century later, equality is still far from being achieved, and This serves as a reminder,” he concluded.
Despite being considered a leading country in equality, in some professions Icelandic women receive salaries 21 percent less than men, while an estimated 40 percent of women experience sexual or sexist violence.
The organization, which has indicated that the objective is to focus attention on the fact that women are subject to systematic wage inequality and demand the eradication of all gender-based violence, has pointed out that the impact of the strike is already noticeable on the streets due to the clear decrease in traffic, especially in the capital.