Iceland government poised to win majority, but future uncertain
Al JazeeraNov 22, 2021
The Facts
Thousands of women across Iceland, including the country's Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdóttir, went on a 24-hour strike on Tuesday to protest against gender inequality and gender-based violence in the largest walkout of its kind since 1975.
The Nordic Island nation's trade unions, which represent about 90% of Icelandic workers, had called on women and people who identify as nonbinary to refuse both paid and unpaid work for a day.
The Spin
Progressive narrative
Nearly half of Iceland's lawmakers are female, 90% of working-age women have jobs, and a woman leads the country. Yet, inequality, toxic masculinity, systemic wage discrimination, and gender-based violence persist in Iceland. This historic strike highlights the importance of women in the country's economy and is a step in the right direction towards eradicating the scourge of gender disparity for good.
Conservative narrative
Despite Iceland leading the world in gender equality, the prime minister is standing in solidarity with protesters and endorsing a distorted narrative. While everyone should be treated and compensated fairly, the mainstream portrayal of the so-called pay gap mischaracterizes it as a gender issue, neglecting to consider age, experience, personality, and a plethora of other factors.