Iceland’s prime minister, women on strike for equal pay, end to gender-based violence

Schools, shops, banks and Iceland’s famous swimming pools shut on Tuesday as women in the volcanic island nation – including the prime minister – went on strike to push for an end to unequal pay and gender-based violence.

Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdóttir said she would stay home as part of the strike and expected other women in her Cabinet would do the same.

But while women in Iceland have pushed or broken the glass ceiling to top jobs – from bishop to leaders of the national wrestling association – the lowest-paying jobs, such as cleaning and child care, are still predominantly done by women.