OF ICELANDIC SOCIETY

THE QUIET REVOLUTION: HOW A DAY OFF BROUGHT GENDER EQUALITY TO THE FOREFRONT OF ICELANDIC SOCIETY.

Andrea Thordarson (WHS)

Revolutions have long been the historians preferred choice of poison. From Napoleon to Washington, the notion of a group of people, banding together and heroically fighting off tyranny has always provided a sense of intrigue and excitement. Revolutions form an essential part of history, often described as turning points that inspired radical change. They are defined as ‘major sudden impacts on society’ [1] with the use of ‘forcible overthrows’ of governments. But they are also far more than the dramatics. They give voices back to those who have lost them. Create hope for the future. They can be quiet, determined, relentless. There is no clear way to define a revolution as it is far more than a change in a country’s trajectory. Thus, the focus of this piece will not centre around the Arab Spring or the Indian Mutiny, but rather an event that resulted in 10% of a small Islands’ population taking to the streets [2], and a national hot dog shortage.

On October 24th, 1974 the largest mass demonstration in Icelandic history took place. Out of a population of 216,695, 25,000 women protested the inequality they faced under a male dominated society. Tired of the gender pay gap, 90% of Icelandic women participated in ‘Kvennafrídagurinn’ (Women’s day off) in an effort to prove how the country could not run without them. The effect? A total paralysis of the Icelandic economy. Without women to care for the kids, work in the fish factories and organise the newspaper; businesses closed, and offices shut down [2]. And yes, supermarkets nationwide ran out of their hot dog supplies as bedraggled husbands rushed to find the easiest thing to cook for their restless kids. In a country so small, one cannot simply rely on the efforts of half a population. Indeed, hundreds of years ago when Iceland was first settled, women worked as priestesses and merchants [3] being regarded with similar respect as their male counterparts. However, with the arrival of Christianity the concept of Gods and Goddesses diminished, and with it, women’s roles in society were increasingly seen as lesser than men’s. However, with a growing economy as a result of Marshall aid, there was a need for a greater workforce. And this is exactly what made the actions of the Red stockings (the Feminists who kicked the movement off) on the 24th so impactful. But it did more than just hamper the economy for a day. Women from all walks of life banded together as they listened to speeches and songs [4], discussing how they deserved to be valued just the same as men. They were doing more than asking to be equal, they were questioning the competency of men and the efficiency of the society in which they lived in. One of the speakers at the demonstration, Aðalheiður Bjarnfredsdottir, asked: “men have governed the world since time immemorial and what has the world been like?” [2] before going on to describe a bleak and cold world. Indeed, the effect of ‘Kvennafrídagurinn’ lasted far longer than a day. It provoked genuine legal change, the creation of the first female only political party in Europe and saw the election of the world’s first democratically elected female president. Not only this but resulted in 1975 being officially declared International Women’s Year by the United Nations. Though the world saw a steady rise of women being properly represented in society, Iceland saw a display of true collective action that brought forth feminist ideals, pervasive enough that Iceland has been deemed one of the world’s leading countries in gender equality.

Though it may not have the grandeur of the famed battle of Yorktown, ‘Kvennafrídagurinn’ represents a different kind of revolution. One that is not over in a matter of years, but continues to persist, in Iceland

and throughout the globe. It sparked a then borderline revolutionary idea that women should have an equal standing in society, and it should be backed by airtight legislation. The impact was not sudden or dramatic, but it has quietly and slowly led to a place where Iceland has had a number of women leading the country through a global pandemic. In Elin Olafsdottir’s words: “It was, in all seriousness a quiet revolution”. [4]

Bibliography

[1] “Revolutionary.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Apr. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutionary. [2] Sigurþórsdóttir, Sunna Karen, et al. “The 1975 Women’s Strike: When 90% of Icelandic Women Went on Strike to Protest Gender Inequality.” Icelandmag, 24 Oct. 2018, icelandmag.is/article/1975-womens-strikewhen-90-icelandic-women-went-strike-protest-genderinequality. [3] Written by Magnea Marinósdóttir. “This Is Why Iceland Ranks First for Gender Equality.” World Economic Forum, 1 Nov. 2017, www.weforum.org/ agenda/2017/11/why-iceland-ranks-first-genderequality/. [4] “The Day the Women Went on Strike in Iceland.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 18 Oct. 2005, www.theguardian.com/world/2005/oct/18/ gender.uk. [5] Brewer, Kirstie. “The Day Iceland’s Women Went on Strike.” BBC News, BBC, 23 Oct. 2015, www.bbc. com/ news/magazine-34602822.