Historical eventOctober 241975

1975 Icelandic women's strike

In Iceland, 90% of women take part in a national strike, refusing to work in protest of gender inequality.

Everything on October 24Original source

In context

When
Friday, October 24 197551 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
20th century · 1970s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 1975-10-24.

Place: Iceland.

Type: general strike and women's strike.

Timeline

Followed by: 2023 Icelandic women's strike.

What happened

History Icelandic women who worked outside of the home before 1975 earned less than sixty percent of what men earned. [ 1 ] The United Nations announced that 1975 was going to be International Women's Year . A representative from a women's group called the Redstockings  [ is ] put forward the idea of a strike as one of the events in honor of it. The committee decided to call the strike a "day off" since they thought this term would be more pleasant and more effective in engaging the masses.

Aftermath The Day Off had a lasting impact and became known colloquially as "the long Friday". [ 1 ] Iceland's parliament passed a law guaranteeing equal rights the following year. [ 2 ] The strike also paved the way for the election of Vigdís Finnbogadóttir , the first democratically elected female president in the world five years later in 1980. [ 3 ] Every ten years, on the anniversary of the Day Off, women stop work early. [ 2 ] In 1975,

Legacy The 2016 Black Monday in Poland was modelled on the 1975 Icelandic strike. [ 1 ] The International Women's Strike , a global version inspired by the Icelandic strike, spread in 2017 and 2018. [ 2 ] [ 3 ] ^ "Black Monday: Polish women strike against abortion ban" . BBC News . 3 October 2016 . Retrieved 13 December 2016 . ^ James, Selma (8 March 2018). "Decades after Iceland's 'day off', our women's strike is stronger than ever | Selma James" . The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077 .

On 24 October 1975, Icelandic women went on strike for the day to "demonstrate the indispensable work of women for Iceland's economy and society" and to "protest wage discrepancy and unfair employment practices". It was publicized domestically as Women's Day Off. Participants, led by women's organizations, did not go to their paid jobs and did not do any housework or child-rearing for the whole day. 90% of Iceland's female population participated in the strike.

October 24 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

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Everything we record for 1975 →

Sources

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“1975 Icelandic women's strike”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/1975-icelandic-women-s-strike-1975-october-24, accessed October 29, 2026.

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Questions about this entry

When did 1975 Icelandic women's strike happen?

October 24 1975 — 51 years ago, on a Friday.

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