icelandic women

Women’s workshops for making woolen textiles have been found in Iceland. Textiles were used as a form of currency in medieval Iceland, and there were regulations as to what was legal tender in the oldest (11th-century) part of the Grágás laws. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Fortunately, according to Aas, Icelandic women are finding ways to resist limited ideas of beauty in their everyday lives, starting with the example they’re setting. “Many of us choose to be inspired by women who respect their bodies and have a happy balance with family, work, spirituality, and health,” she says.

The country’s first women’s rights organization formed in 1894 and collected signatures on voting rights petitions. By 1907, 11,000 women and men—more than 12 percent of the population—had signed on. In 1915, women over 40 were granted the right to vote, and in 1920, the country introduced suffrage for all citizens ages 18 and up. The idea for the “strike” was formed during the first Women’s Congress in Iceland in June earlier that year where the five https://blog.hootsuite.com/snapchat-emoji-meanings/ largest women’s organizations in Iceland gathered in Reykjavik to discuss common issues. Women were being paid 60 percent less for the same work that men were paid, and were not being recognized for the contributions they made as homemakers. The Red Stockings, a feminist organization formed in 1970, suggested that women go on strike. Iceland is a particularly interesting place to study women’s history.

• You know, the women’s shelter in Reykjavik was full and has been during the COVID pandemic.
• In January 2021, Iceland extended the parental leave system to 12 months from 10 months.
• Today, on International Women’s Day, we would like to take the opportunity to introduce you to five empowering women in Iceland.
• Though herring fishing had long been practiced in Iceland’s waters, the country’s herring era only began in forcein 1903, when Norwegian fishing fleets showed up with massive drift nets capable of capturing huge caches of herring.
• Most women’s organizations at the time were focused on helping the sick and the poor.

Both farming and trading were family businesses, and women were often left in charge when their husbands were away or dead. There is also evidence that women could make a living in commerce in the Viking Age. Merchants’ scales and weights found in female graves in Scandinavia suggest an association between women and trade.

In 2009, Iceland became the first country to completely close the gender gap in education and health. And in 2016, Iceland was 87% of the way to closing the gender gap in all sectors.

A Better World Is Possible: The 1975 Icelandic Women’s Strike

On October 24, 1975, 90% of Icelandic Women went on strike for one day to remind the country of their importance. Research suggests women in the U.S. may be reluctant to lift weights for a variety of reasons, including its association with men. In the U.S., only 23.2% of adults do the recommended amount of aerobic and strength training exercise, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is safe to say that one of the main reasons this policy was enacted was that women were well represented in Iceland’s parliament. Today we celebrate women worldwide and the tremendous—and hard-fought—impacts they have made in society, business, science, sports, arts, and politics. You know, the women’s shelter in Reykjavik was full and has been during the COVID pandemic.

Icelandic CrossFit Women – Björk Odinsdóttir

The Norwegian fleets brought jobs, too, from staffing fishing boats to building docks to salting herring for sale https://gardeniaweddingcinema.com/european-women/icelandic-women/ in markets across the world. TheInternational Women’s Strike, a global version inspired by the Icelandic strike, spread in 2017 and 2018. It’s not uncommon to find our gyms here packed out from 6am through to 8pm.

The official law, created in 2000, is known as the Icelandic Act on Maternity/Paternity and Parental Leave. The law itself was amended in 2006 increasing parental leave from six to nine months. The government covers parental leave for birth, adoption, and foster care for all employees in Iceland, even those who are self-employed paying 80% of earned salary to new parents. Parents split the time of leave equally to ensure children grow up with equal care from both parents, and workplaces are balanced. Within the law there are nine defined areas of gender discrimination. It identifies differences between indirect and direct gender discrimination, acknowledges gaps in wages, and recognizes that gender-based violence is detrimental to society. Here are seven laws and standard practices that support women’s rights, and penalize gender discrimination.

On 24, October 1975, Icelandic women went onstrikefor the day to “demonstrate the indispensable work of women forIceland’s economy and society” and to “protest wage discrepancy and unfair employment practices”. It was then publicized domestically as Women’s Day Off (Kvennafrídagurinn). Participants, led by women’s organizations, did not go to their paid jobs and did not do any housework or child-rearing for the whole day. Ninety percent of Iceland’s female population participated in the strike.

CrossFit is a big sport in Iceland, and everyday people treat their daily workouts like the final of the CrossFit Games, CrossFit coach Karl Steadman previously said. The fitness culture is “very different” in Iceland compared to the US, Davidsdottir said, and being an athlete is thought of as “cool and aspirational.” Top editors give you the stories you want — delivered right to your inbox each weekday. In Iceland women are encouraged to be strong, but women in the US are scared to build muscle, she said. “During the hard times, it’s important to focus on the things you can change in that moment, instead of what you should have or could have done differently.”

Background History and Context

Those women who worked outside of the home in Iceland made less than 60 percent of the wages that men made. Women were also often unable to get jobs because they did most, if not all, of the housework and child rearing. The goal of the strike was to protest the wage discrepancy and unfair employment practices by demonstrating the crucial roles of women in Icelandic society. Of course, this work of refocusing our historical awareness and filling in the archival gaps is not unique to Iceland.

In 2021, the quota for each parent is 5 months of paid leave, and there are 2 months of shareable paid leave; in addition there is also unpaid leave (13 weeks per parent, non-transferable). Parental leave may start up to one month before the expected date of delivery. Women achieved their intended goal, basically shutting down Iceland for the day.