We recently celebrated International Women’s Day (on the day of the year that only had 23 hours?I might add…). In the discussion of women in history, much was said about achievements often unsung in science, technology, and other fields normally inhabited by men. Not much was said about what happens when women stand up and say, “Enough!”
A lot of eyes were opened in 1975 in Iceland when 90%?the women in the country said “Enough!” and did something about the rampant inequality of their country. When you think that the small squeaky voice of a woman won’t make a difference, think about this . . .
From The Guardian, this lesson begins,
“When the United Nations proclaimed 1975 a Women’s Year, a committee with representatives from five of the biggest women organisations in Iceland was set up to organise commemorative events. A radical women’s movement called the Red Stockings first raised the question: “Why don’t we just all go on strike?” This, they argued, would be a powerful way of reminding society of the role women play in its running, their low pay, and the low value placed on their work inside and outside the home. The idea was bandied about, and finally agreed to by the committee, but only after the word “strike” had been replaced with “a day off”. They figured this would make the idea more palatable to the masses and to employers who could fire women going on strike but would have problems denying them “a day off”.”
And that was that. A full 90% of Icelandic women participated in the ‘strike’ that day in 1975. Since then, Iceland leads the way in equality for women. October 24 1975 changed the world, but it is still an uphill battle for women.
The country almost stopped functioning.
“Iceland’s men were barely coping. Most employers did not make a fuss of the women disappearing but rather tried to prepare for the influx of overexcited youngsters who would have to accompany their fathers to work. Some went out to buy sweets and gathered pencils and papers in a bid to keep the children occupied. Sausages, the favourite ready meal of the time, sold out in supermarkets and many husbands ended up bribing older children to look after their younger siblings. Schools, shops, nurseries, fish factories and other institutions had to shut down or run at half-capacity.”
Since that day, Iceland has experienced an increase in equality for women, including the election of their first female president.
“It was a spur to action and many feel that the solidarity women showed that day paved the way for the election five years later of Vigdis Finnbogadottir, the world’s first democratically elected female president. Finnbogadottir firmly believes that too. “After October 24, women thought it was time a woman became president,” she says. “The finger was pointed at me and I accepted the challenge.””
But the battle is not won. Women in Iceland still experience a rate of pay only 65.65% of men’s wages.
“The gender pay gap that persists in Iceland is partly a legacy of the outsize salaries raked in by men in the financial sector during the boom. But the country’s unique and powerful feminist traditions ensured that it would have a markedly different response to the financial crisis from countries like the United States, where the role of masculinity has gone largely unexamined?with nary a mention in the newly released report from the Financial Crisis Commission on the causes of the meltdown.”
As Iceland and other?Nordic countries?lead the way, so shall we follow. Women in the United States need to stand up and holler from every roof top – “ENOUGH!”
