The Day Women Stopped Iceland
On October 24, 1975, 90% of Iceland’s women simply stopped working for one day—and the entire country discovered a truth it could no longer ignore: Iceland could not function without women.
No paid jobs.
No housework.
No childcare.
No cooking.
No cleaning.
Nothing.
Although Icelandic women had won the right to vote in 1920, real equality was still far away. By 1975, only three women sat in parliament—less than 5%. Women earned less than men for the same work and faced constant discrimination. Their labor, especially in the home, was treated as invisible and unimportant.
Meanwhile, other Nordic countries were moving ahead. Sweden, Norway, and Denmark had far more women in parliament and stronger laws protecting women’s rights. Icelandic women were tired of being left behind.
A feminist group called the Red Stockings proposed a bold idea: a nationwide strike. Women would refuse to do both paid and unpaid work for one day. Many people were afraid the idea was too radical, so the organizers chose a different name—“Women’s Day Off.”
It wasn’t meant to attack men, but to show what women contributed every single day.
When October 24 arrived, women across the country stayed home. They didn’t go to work. They didn’t cook, clean, or take care of children. They simply stopped.
The effect was immediate.
Banks closed.
Factories shut down.
Newspapers couldn’t be printed.
Schools and daycares closed because there were no staff members.
Men were forced to bring their children to work. Grocery stores ran out of sausages—the only meal many men knew how to prepare. The country nearly came to a standstill.
In Reykjavík, 25,000 women—almost 12% of the population—gathered in the city center. More demonstrations took place across Iceland. Women stood together in the sunshine, listening to speeches and sharing stories. There was no violence, no anger—just absence.
The message was clear: women were not secondary. They were essential.
Even many men recognized the importance of the day. One conservative newspaper editor called it a positive event and later described it as a turning point in Icelandic society.
Among the women in the crowd was Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, a teacher and theater director. Five years later, in 1980, she became Europe’s first democratically elected female president, serving for 16 years.
Looking back, she said the day had opened people’s eyes and proved that women were pillars of society.
The impact of that single day was lasting. Today, women hold nearly half of Iceland’s parliamentary seats, and the country consistently ranks as the most gender-equal nation in the world.
Iceland’s women didn’t change their country through violence or confrontation. They changed it by stopping—for just one day.
October 24, 1975.
The day women made the invisible visible—and transformed a nation forever.
