Iceland’s Prime Minister Joins 24-Hour Strike Against Gender-Based Violence and Pay Discrimination
HAVANA TIMES – Women and nonbinary people across Iceland held a 24-hour strike Tuesday to highlight the gender pay gap and gender-based violence. It was the seventh countrywide strike since the movement started in 1975. Though Iceland has topped the World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Report for 14 straight years, researchers say 40% of women will still experience gender-based discrimination and sexual violence. Yesterday’s work stoppage, led by trade unions, affected all industries, from schools to the highest echelons of government, with Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir also participating in the strike. This is Agriculture Minister Svandís Svavarsdóttir.
Svandís Svavarsdóttir: “It’s about gender equality. We have been fighting for it for decades. And this day is very special for us, for women in Iceland, because we all skipped work 48 years ago, and we are doing it again today because the gap is still there and we are fighting against it.”