The United Nations declared 1975 “The International Women’s Year”, leading to a Women’s Congress in Iceland during June, 1975.
Icelandic women gained the right to vote in 1915 and elected the first woman to parliament in 1922. In 1975, only 5% of the representatives in parliament were women.
Women were fed up with earning much less than men, having a “glass ceiling” at work, and performing most of the housework, with little or no appreciation for the importance of their contribution to Iceland’s economy. 60% of Icelandic women worked outside the home.
Led by the feminist group called the Red Stockings, the women at the Women’s Congress decided to do something about it. They proposed having a strike, but strikes were illegal in Iceland, except for labor unions and employer’s associations. So, they decided to “take a day off” on October 24, 1975.
Bear in mind that the population of Iceland in 1975 was 219,262 and there was only one national television station and one national radio station. Such an effort would be much more difficult in the United States.
There was a massive effort, supported by publicity in the media, to get participation. Women mailed postcards and letters, handed out brochures and flyers, went door to door, and made phone calls.
The morning of the “Day Off”, the front page of every newspaper in Iceland featured the Women’s Day Off. The morning newspaper, Morgunblaðið, promised to put the story on the front page provided typesetters who were taking the day off came in early to get the newspapers out, so they came in at midnight to get the job done.
90% of the women in Iceland participated in the Day Off. About 25,000 Icelandic women flooded the streets of Reyjkjavic to participate in protests.
Housewives told their husbands to prepare their own meals, care for the children and do the chores. Many husbands took their children to work. Grocery stores ran out of easy-to-cook sausages. Men called the day “The Long Friday.”
Banks and most other businesses closed for the day. Schools closed. Telephone service was shut down.
In response, Iceland adopted several women’s rights-related policies, including universal childcare and a law making paternity leave more accessible for fathers. In 1976, Iceland passed an equal rights law. In 2018, Iceland became the first country in the world to enforce equal pay for women and men for companies or organizations with 25 or more employees.
The percentage of women in parliament increased from 5% in 1983 to 46%.
In 1980, Vigdís Finnbogadóttir became the fourth president of Iceland, serving 16 years to 1996, and was the first woman in the world elected president of a country. The current president of Iceland is Halla Tómasdóttir, elected in 2024. The current prime minister of Iceland is Kristrún Frostadóttir.
Women still face challenges in Iceland. Although Iceland has more wage parity than any other nation, there is still a wage gap. Gender-based violence is widespread and women still perform the lion’s share of housework.
During 2024, director Pamela Hogan and producer Hrafnhildur Gunnadsdóttir released their documentary movie of the Day Off, The Day Iceland Stood Still. The movie has been shown on a very limited basis in the United States. It is currently available on Iceland Air international flights.
The World Economic Forum has named Iceland as the world’s most equitable society for women for 16 years. In 2025, nearly all of Iceland’s top positions, including the prime minister, president, chief of police and heads of all public and private universities, are held by women.