When Women Went on Strike...

On October 24, 1975 women of Iceland went on strike. "They refused to work, cook, clean, and look after their children" and husbands. Icelandic society was almost paralyzed that day.

It was meant to be a wake up call about the role women play in society, their lower than men's pay, and the low value placed on their jobs in their homes and work places. That day was later referred as "a very long Friday" by Icelandic man. The strike sent the whole of the Nordic community reeling and paved the way for the election five years later of Vigdis Finnbogadottir (see picture), the first democratically elected female president in the world.

Having a female president in the office did not resolve gender issues overnight. Although 90% of Icelandic women worked outside the home, still, responsibility for housework and childcare remained overwhelmingly on their shoulders - at the expense of their careers.

Reseach conducted in Iceland in the 1990s indicated that almost 30% of managers believed that having children would negatively impact women’s career opportunities, while none thought that young children put men's advancement at work in jeapardy. As a result, women with young children were less likely to be hired than men. This discrimination had to be addressed.

In 2000 the government took a radical step to equalize rights of men and women. Ingólfur Gíslason in his recent paper analyzes the effects of the new legislation. Changes to the Icelandic Act on Maternity/Paternity and Parental Leave provided the following scheme for parents active in the labor market: fathers were given three months, mothers three months and the parents were given three months to share as they wished.

Parents were now paid 80% of their average salaries during the leave from a specific fund, financed through an insurance levy. Previously, men did not have the right to pay during their leave. The Act was a success - around 90% of fathers today take advantage of their right to care for their young children. The research indicates that the Act has leveled the status of men and women in the labor market in Iceland.

Quest for gender equality goes far beyond the Nordic countries. It truly spans the globe. In August 2008 the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) is expected to adopt a Protocol on Gender and Development. The Protocol, in the making since 2005, is one of the most ambitious projects by governments of SADC. It aims to bring together all existing international and regional commitments for achieving gender equality.

According to the Protocol, all 15 SADC members - Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Seychelles, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe – by 2015 will introduce, among other gender equality measures, paternity leave.