On October 24, 2016, women in Iceland left work at 2:38 to protest income inequality. This was not the first time women in Iceland have gone on strike to protest the gender pay gap. They also protested in 1975, 1985, 2005 and 2010.
The average income of women in Iceland is only 70.3% of the average income of men. If the work day begins at 9 a.m. and finishes at 5 p.m., women stop being paid for their work at 2:38 p.m.
The gender pay gap is even worse on the global level. The 2016 Global Gender Gap Report of the World Economic Forum tells us that, if current trends continue, the global economic gender gap will not close for another 170 years or in 2186.
The report also tells us that the progress towards gender equality has slowed dramatically, and recent gains have been reversed. The economic gender gap is growing, not becoming smaller.
We won’t wait another 170 years!
Women! Rise up! Organize! Change the world!
The demonstrations on October 24, 2016 were called by the women’s movement and the labor movement in Iceland.
Ólafía Hrönn Jónsdóttir and Katrín Halldóra Sigurðardóttir directed the demonstrations in Reykjavík. Guðrún Ágústsdóttir, Þórunn Sveinbjarnardóttir, Una Torfadóttir and Justyna Grosel gave speeches. Vala Höskuldsdóttir, Sigríður Eir Zophoníasardóttir, Brynhildur Björnsdóttir, Aðalheiður Þorsteinsdóttir, Ellen Kristjánsdóttir, Elísabet Eyþórsdóttir, Sigríður Eyþórsdóttir, and Lóa Bergsveinsdóttir performed.
Demonstrations were also held in Akureyri, Bolungarvík, Borgarnes, Djúpivogur, Egilsstaðir, Grindavík, Grundarfjörður, Hella, Húsavík, Höfn í Hornafirði, Ísafjörður, Kirkjubæjarklaustur, Neskaupstaður, Patreksfjörður, Reykjanesbær, Sauðárkrókur, Seyðisfjörður, Vestmannaeyjar, Vopnafjörður, and Ölfus.