The Upcoming A Day Without A Woman Strike and Those That Came Before

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Nina Technow, Staff Writer

After the Women’s March managed to mobilize millions of people all over the world, the organizers from these events are now planning “A Day Without a Woman” as part of an ongoing series of events to speak out on issues that affect American citizens, as well as many across the globe. As stated by the organizers of the Women’s March: “Women and our allies will act together creatively to withdraw from the corporations that harm us and find ways to support the businesses, organizations and communities that sustain us.”

This will not be the first day where women leave their work in order to call attention to issues surrounding equal rights for all genders. On October 24, 1975, women all across Iceland left their jobs and homes, taking to the streets in order to protest against gender discrimination in their country. Around 90% of Iceland’s female population refused to cook, clean, and work for a day, which ultimately brought the country to a stand still and left many of their husbands and families to fend for themselves. This strike intended to serve as a reminder to the nation’s leaders of the contributions women make to society and the importance of the jobs they do every day – if not for free, often for less money. As a direct result, the United Nations declared 1975 a Women’s Year and, five years later, Vigdís Finnbogadóttir was named the first elected female President of Iceland, and the first woman to be elected democratically in the whole world. The women who took to the streets in 1975 catapulted their country to the forefront of gender equality. Even though Iceland remains one of the most gender equal countries in the world, roughly 40 years later, once again on October 24th, 2016, women all across Iceland left work 14% early to further protest the 14% wage gap that still persists in the country. As women continue to fight for equal pay in Iceland with strikes and protests, women in America are getting ready to do the same.

While many have argued that protesting and organizing will not change the attitudes of those in power, Iceland is just one example of where collective effort has brought about change in policies as well as attitudes. While the “Day Without a Woman” focuses on economic justice, it also aims to raise awareness of issues in which the rights of individuals and groups of people are not being protected, such as defunding the Dakota Access Pipeline and calling out organizations that perpetuate oppression in communities around the country. The International Women’s Strike will be a global event, and on March 8th many women will look to those who came before in order to change the path of the future.