“The Guardian” published an interesting article this week, that covers actions of women, that eventually changed the world. One of these actions happened in Iceland, where 90% of women stopped working for one day, which had huge ramifications.
I already had this idea a while ago: If women around the world stopped working for one day, achieving gender equality would be accomplished way faster. Why? Iceland showed us the 24th of October 1975. On this day 90% of women went on strike to protest against the exploitation of women’s underpaid jobs and free labor. Not only they didn’t work that day but also didn’t cook or clean for their husbands, do childcare or family admin. Eventually the country ground to a halt. This activism of the so called “Red Stockings” showed just how much of the whole society ran on women’s uncredited work. And today Iceland is one of the – no – THE most egalitarian and advanced country in the world.
Let me give you a few numbers to prove that:
Iceland – The Peaceful State
Iceland doesn’t have an army. There are just about 120 coast guards, who are based at the city Reykjavík. But why would a peaceful country even need an army?
The Global Gender Gap Report
Since years Scandinavia dominates the gender equality ranking and especially Iceland. According to The Global Gender Gap Report 40% of Iceland’s members of parliament and 50% of the ministers are female – also 20 of the last 50 years a woman was head of state. In the area of education 101 women are studying at a university for 57 men. A gender pay gap almost doesn’t exist. Altogether Iceland did it – it achieved a complete work-life balance. Women can have children and still be the head of a company. And men can provide for their family and at the same time still spend time with them.
Home Of Tolerance
But Icland isn’t just a heaven for women, the country is also very liberal with homosexuals. Since 2010 a same-sex marriage is possible, meanwhile in Germany for example it still isn’t allowed for homosexuals to get married.
When we look back to the Global Gender Gap Report it’s clear that no country so far achieved gender equality but Iceland came the closest. So the question is: How can we all be more like Iceland? I guess there are only two options. We can wait years or probably decades to achieve gender equality slowly or we do the same as Iceland’s women and show the world, that it can not take female labor for granted.
Sources:
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/oct/12/women-direct-action-suffragette?CMP=fb_gu
http://www.sueddeutsche.de/panorama/gleichstellungsbericht-des-weltwirtschaftsforums-islands-frauen-als-vorbilder-1.1803763
