Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Daily Nation
Published on 2024-01-30 03:00:00
Late last year, women in Iceland, including Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdóttir, participated in a strike to demand equal pay and an end to gender-based violence. Known as kvennafrí or ‘women’s day off’ in Icelandic, this strike was the first full-day women’s strike in the country in 48 years. The first kvennafrí occurred in 1975, where about 90 per cent of the women in Iceland stopped working for one day to emphasize the importance of women to the economy. Last year’s strike resulted in the passage of an equal pay law in Iceland’s parliament.
This action was historically significant in Iceland. Former Icelandic president Vigdís Finnbogadóttir called the 1975 strike the “first step for women’s emancipation in Iceland,” which laid the groundwork for her own election as the world’s first democratically elected female head of state in 1980.
The strike last year led to schools, shops, banks, and swimming pools being shut down. The male-dominated newsrooms also reported on the shutdowns across the country. Although Iceland is one of the smallest countries in the world, it has been consistently ranked as the most gender-equal country by the World Economic Forum for 14 years in a row.
As for the gender pay gap in Iceland, it has decreased from 10.2 per cent in 2021 to 9.1 per cent in 2022. However, the wage gap remains widest in financial and insurance activities, and narrowest in electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply. This highlights the disparity in wages between men and women.
Comparatively, Kenya showed a record drop in the Global Gender Gap Index due to the socio-economic impact of Covid-19. In 2022, Kenya outperformed Iceland in economic participation and opportunity, but Iceland took the lead in 2023. Additionally, a study by UN Women Africa found that Kenyan women currently earn Sh82 for every Sh100 a man earns, indicating an improvement from six years ago. Despite this, the gap still persists and women continue to bear the brunt of household expenditure.
In light of the Iceland strike, the conversation around equal pay in Kenya has sparked debate. Some advocates believe that dialogue and negotiation are crucial in addressing unequal pay, while others argue that systemic issues such as favoritism and gender discrimination must be addressed too. Different opinions have been expressed about whether a similar strike in Kenya would be effective in addressing unequal pay, while others emphasize the need for a sustained and strategic campaign.
The idea of advocating for equal pay in Kenya has also been met with caution, with some experts citing potential backlash from employers and the need for a more nuanced approach. While the Iceland model for addressing equal pay may not be directly applicable to the Kenyan context, there is a consensus that consistent efforts to address systemic issues, empower women, and challenge patriarchal traditions are crucial. There is still a long way to go in achieving gender equality in both Iceland and Kenya, but these discussions and movements are critical steps forward.
