On 24 October 1975, women across Iceland took part in a mass walkout known as Women’s Day Off.
On 24 October 1975, women across Iceland took part in a mass walkout known as Women’s Day Off.
About 90% stopped both paid work and unpaid domestic labor to protest inequality and show how essential women were to Icelandic society. The action caused widespread disruption: schools and nurseries were affected, many workplaces ran at reduced capacity, and fathers often had to bring children to work.
In 1976, Iceland passed its first Gender Equality Act, establishing a formal framework for equal rights and opportunities for women and men. Five years after the strike, in 1980, Iceland elected Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, the world’s first democratically elected woman president.
Today, Iceland ranks first in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index.


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