A-Infos (en) France, UCL AL #370 - Antipatriarchy - Iceland: Kvennaár, 50 Years Later, the Struggle Continues (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

Last autumn, Reykjavík hosted the anniversary mobilization of the 
country's first mass feminist strike. Fifty years after the exemplary 
struggle of Icelandic women transformed social policies and made Iceland 
one of the most egalitarian countries in the world today, another 
national day of strike action took place, called by 54 organizations 
whose feminist demands remain relevant today. ---- On October 24, 2025, 
a general strike of women and non-binary people was held in Reykjavík, 
Iceland, to raise awareness of their status. This mobilization, called 
Kvennaár ("Year of Women"), had a dual purpose: to commemorate the first 
feminist general strike of 1975 and to highlight what remains to be done.

On October 24, 1975, the first general women's strike Kvennafrídagurinn 
took place in Iceland. On that day, nearly 90% of the country's 220,000 
women stayed home from work and staged a massive domestic strike. The 
country's fishing industry was paralyzed for the day, as women made up 
the majority of employees. Other sectors, such as schools, daycare 
centers, department stores, and cultural centers (cinemas, theaters, 
etc.), were also closed. The day became known as "the day the children 
went to the office," with men forced to take care of them. That same 
day, 25,000 women gathered in the center of the capital for a 
demonstration, the largest Iceland had seen up to that time.

The demands at the time included, among other things, equal pay (women 
earning on average between 60 and 75% of men's salaries for the same 
job), representation in the Alþýðusamband Íslands (the main trade union 
federation), opposition to the mantra hún gerir ekki neitt, hún er bara 
heima ("she doesn't work, she's just at home"), and to professionalized 
patriarchy (being a man counts more than qualifications when hiring)[1].

Every ten years, on the anniversary of October 24, women leave their 
jobs earlier, the departure time being calculated in relation to 
progress in the status of women. In 2023, 100,000 women took part in the 
strike. On October 24, 2025, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 
initial mobilization, a series of demonstrations were planned. No 
figures are currently available regarding the number of people who 
participated in these mobilizations, but it is assumed that they were 
widely attended. In 2025, the initial demands had changed very little, 
but others were added: mandatory education on gender issues 
(particularly on gender-based and sexual violence), greater recognition 
of LGBTI people, better maternity leave pay, etc.[2]

Women and non-binary people in Iceland still earn about 21% less than 
men, only 5 points more than fifty years ago, and the number of 
gender-based and sexual violence incidents is skyrocketing. Inequalities 
are widening everywhere, and patriarchal violence is omnipresent. Let's 
all respond with a general strike!

Rudy (UCL Caen)

Submit

[1]The full list of demands is available on the website of the Icelandic 
Women's History Archive: Kvennasogusafn.is.

[2]The full list of demands is available on the demonstration's website: 
Kvennaar.is.

https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Islande-Kvennaar-50-ans-plus-tard-la-lutte-continue
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