1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:07,440 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hi, I'm Eves and you're listening to This 3 00:00:07,560 --> 00:00:10,680 Speaker 1: Day in History Class, a show that makes time travel 4 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:24,239 Speaker 1: a little bit easier. Today is October. The day was 5 00:00:24,280 --> 00:00:31,200 Speaker 1: October nineteen seventy An estimated of women in Iceland went 6 00:00:31,240 --> 00:00:33,760 Speaker 1: on strike to show how integral their work was to 7 00:00:33,800 --> 00:00:38,320 Speaker 1: the success of the economy and society. The United Nations 8 00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:43,680 Speaker 1: designated nineteen seventy five International Women's Year, but at the time, 9 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:48,360 Speaker 1: women in Iceland still earned around less than men. A 10 00:00:48,440 --> 00:00:51,879 Speaker 1: radical feminist group called the Red Stockings proposed putting on 11 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:55,840 Speaker 1: a strike to protest low pay and emphasize the importance 12 00:00:55,840 --> 00:00:59,840 Speaker 1: of women's work inside and outside of the home. A 13 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:03,600 Speaker 1: committee with representatives from five women's organizations in Iceland that 14 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:06,399 Speaker 1: was set up to organize events for International Women's Year 15 00:01:06,720 --> 00:01:10,600 Speaker 1: agreed to the strike. The strike was marketed as Women's 16 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:13,640 Speaker 1: Day Off, since calling it a day off was more 17 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:16,920 Speaker 1: palatable to employers, would appeal to more people who might 18 00:01:16,959 --> 00:01:20,959 Speaker 1: be penalized for striking, and would likely get more media support. 19 00:01:22,080 --> 00:01:26,959 Speaker 1: The organizers chose United Nations Day October to conduct the strike. 20 00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:30,800 Speaker 1: The New York Times reported that many men treated the 21 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:34,039 Speaker 1: strike as a joke when it was first announced, but 22 00:01:34,240 --> 00:01:37,440 Speaker 1: on October twenty, women across the country took the day 23 00:01:37,480 --> 00:01:39,880 Speaker 1: off from their paid jobs and their work at home 24 00:01:39,959 --> 00:01:44,279 Speaker 1: to gather in the streets. An estimated twenty thousand women 25 00:01:44,440 --> 00:01:47,760 Speaker 1: rallied in Reikjavik, the capital of Iceland, to listen to 26 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:52,480 Speaker 1: speeches saying and protest the undervaluing of their work. At 27 00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:55,280 Speaker 1: the time, the population of Iceland was two d and 28 00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:59,160 Speaker 1: twenty thousand. Because so many people skipped their jobs for 29 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:03,760 Speaker 1: the day, industries shut down, newspapers were not printed since 30 00:02:03,920 --> 00:02:08,160 Speaker 1: most typesetters were women, Schools were partially or completely closed, 31 00:02:08,360 --> 00:02:12,560 Speaker 1: and telephone services went down. Airlines had to cancel flights 32 00:02:12,639 --> 00:02:15,559 Speaker 1: due to a lack of flight attendants, and bank executives 33 00:02:15,600 --> 00:02:20,040 Speaker 1: worked as tellers for the day. Fish factories, nurseries and 34 00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:23,680 Speaker 1: shops also shut down or operated at reduced capacity for 35 00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:27,320 Speaker 1: the day. Many companies had to arrange for men to 36 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:31,120 Speaker 1: bring their children into their jobs. When women operating the 37 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:34,880 Speaker 1: presses at Morgan blotted a conservative newspaper, returned to work 38 00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:38,440 Speaker 1: at midnight. The next day's paper was shorter than usual 39 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:42,640 Speaker 1: and was solely about the strike. Iceland has had an 40 00:02:42,680 --> 00:02:46,400 Speaker 1: act when equal pay for equal work since nineteen sixty one, 41 00:02:46,639 --> 00:02:49,959 Speaker 1: but the gender pay gap persisted, and the Gender Equality 42 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:54,480 Speaker 1: Council was formed in Iceland. In nineteen seventy six, Parliament 43 00:02:54,520 --> 00:02:58,320 Speaker 1: passed the Gender Equality Act, which prohibited gender discrimination in 44 00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:01,840 Speaker 1: workplaces in schools, stating that men and women should be 45 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:05,960 Speaker 1: paid equally for work of equal value. The act didn't 46 00:03:06,040 --> 00:03:09,320 Speaker 1: change gender disparity and wages and employment in a major 47 00:03:09,320 --> 00:03:13,240 Speaker 1: way immediately, but the protest did achieve its goal of 48 00:03:13,320 --> 00:03:17,000 Speaker 1: disrupting society so that people were compelled to think about 49 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:21,400 Speaker 1: the value of women's work. Big Dish Fibo Adote became 50 00:03:21,480 --> 00:03:26,480 Speaker 1: Iceland's and Europe's first democratically directly elected female president in 51 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:31,480 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty. Since the nineteen seventy five strike, Icelandic women 52 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:35,200 Speaker 1: have continued to leave work early in protest of flow pay. 53 00:03:36,040 --> 00:03:39,960 Speaker 1: There is still a gender pay gap in Iceland. I'm 54 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:42,160 Speaker 1: each Deaf code and hopefully you know a little more 55 00:03:42,240 --> 00:03:46,960 Speaker 1: about history today than you did yesterday. You can find 56 00:03:47,040 --> 00:03:50,000 Speaker 1: us on social media at t d I h C 57 00:03:50,200 --> 00:03:54,920 Speaker 1: Podcast on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. You can also shoot 58 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:58,800 Speaker 1: us an email at this Day at I heart media 59 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:02,640 Speaker 1: dot com. Thanks again for listening and we'll see you 60 00:04:02,680 --> 00:04:08,760 Speaker 1: tomorrow MHM. For more podcasts from My Heart Radio, visit 61 00:04:08,800 --> 00:04:11,280 Speaker 1: the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 62 00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:12,440 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.