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)
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[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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Source: A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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