Lögberg-Heimskringla - 01.11.2015, Blaðsíða 4

4 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • November 1 2015
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THE STRIKE FELT ROUND THE WORLD
Lögberg-
Heimskringla
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Lögberg-Heimskringla, Incorporated
Heimskringla stofnað 9. september 1886
Lögberg stofnað 14. janúar 1888
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Stefan Jonasson
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SECRETARY: Alicyn Goodman
BOARD MEMBERS
Gunnvör Daniélsdóttir
Asmundsson
Shawn Bjornsson
Claire Eckley
Bruce Eyford
Ronald J. Johnson
Margaret Kernested
Erna Pomrenke
Robbie Rousseau
Oskar Sigvaldason
CANADA
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Julie Summers Reykjavík Ísland
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
Stefan's Saga
Iceland has been at the forefront of the struggle for gender equality for more than
a century. It was 100 years ago,
this past June, when Icelandic
women received the right to
vote in national elections and
Icelandic immigrants and their
descendants were instrumental
in winning the same right for
women in Manitoba a little more
than six months later. We are
proudly marking the centennial
of these twin achievements on
both sides of the sea. But the
right to vote represents only
one step on the road to gender
equality and, notwithstanding
the great strides that have been
made, we have not yet arrived at
our desired destination.
There’s another anniversary
marking an important
milestone in the quest for
equality this year. It has been
forty years since the women
of Iceland made headlines
around the world for their bold
Women’s Day Off, something
that is generally characterized
as “the day the women of
Iceland went on strike.” If you
spend any time online, there’s
a good chance you’ve received
an email or have perhaps seen
a Facebook post showing the
huge crowd of women who
gathered around Lækjartorg
and Arnarhóll in midtown
Reykjavík on October 24,
1975. I have been bombarded
with messages from friends
seeking to draw my attention to
this historic event, as if it could
have escaped my notice. I
remember the “strike” vividly,
if only because I can recall my
mom teasing my dad about
launching a sympathy strike of
her own. It sticks in my head
that dad made supper that day.
The United Nations
had declared 1975 to be
International Women’s Year. In
Iceland, the strike was one of
the events organized to mark
the year, calling attention to
inequality and demanding
corrective action. It’s estimated
that ninety percent of the
country’s women took the day
off – both at home and at the
workplace – and somewhere
between 25,000 and 30,000
women descended on the
heart of Reykjavík, filling
the streets and squares for
as far as the eye could see.
They called for fair pay,
equal opportunity, improved
child care, and world peace.
The women sang, listened
to speeches, and networked
amongst themselves, while
their husbands and fathers,
sons and brothers dealt with
the effects of their one-day
absence. Women and men alike
learned a lot that day.
Five years later, Vigdís
Finnbogadóttir became the
first woman in the world to be
democratically elected as a head
of state. Not long afterwards,
Kvennalistinn (The Women’s
List) was organized as a
political party and it competed
in both municipal and national
elections, winning three seats in
Alþingi in the 1983 election and
doubling its numbers four years
later. Iceland’s women weren’t
turning back.
Today, Iceland has the
smallest gender gap in the
world, according to the Global
Gender Gap Index, which gives
the county a score of 0.8594,
where 1.0 would indicate full
equality. Women graduating
from university significantly
outnumber men and Iceland
leads the world in the proportion
of women in professional
and technical occupations.
Women’s participation in the
labour force is in the top ten
and the wage gap has shrunk
to about 20 percent. High-
quality child care is readily
available and affordable, while
household responsibilities are
shared more equitably than
in other countries. Finally,
Icelandic women are more
politically empowered than
anywhere else. Yet, even with
these measures of success, the
aspirations of 1975 have not
been fully achieved – Icelandic
women are better off than
elsewhere, but full equality
has not yet arrived. Forty years
later, there’s still work to do,
but Iceland’s experience and
tangible progress still serve as
an inspiration to women around
the world who long for equality
– and the men who stand with
them as allies.
Stefan Jonasson
Editor
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GIMLI
SELKIRK
Betel Home Foundation will continue to be a leader
and innovator in providing the highest quality of life for
each individual in our care. Betel Home Foundation
is an integral part of the community recognizing our
Icelandic roots and respecting others cultures.
Betel Home Foundation
G I M L I 96-1ST AVENUE • 204-642-5556 S E L K I R K 212 MANCHESTER AVENUE • 204-482-4651
Tax receipts available
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money or stock.
Greetings from
Gordon J. Reykdal
Honorary Consul of the
Republic of Iceland
Suite #205 10230 142 Street
Edmonton, Alberta
T5N 3Y6
Cell: 780.497.1480
E-mail: gjreykdal@gmail.com
Hi,
Your October 1 issue is
wonderful. Both the editorial
and the Toast to Iceland are
terrific articles.
I would like several
members of my family to read
both. I would like to order 10
copies of the issue. …
Many thanks and
congratulations for such good
work.
Thora Howell
Nanaimo, BC
Letter to the Editor
Iceland's women went on strike in 1975