Women Have Long Protested For Equal Pay, From Marching With Mops To Burning Cash

Women’s Day Off, or “kvennafrí,” was observed last week by tens of thousands of Icelandic women, including Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir. The nation has greater gender justice statistics than most other regions of the globe. Even if it was just for a single day, the planned walkout was the first full-day women’s strike since 1975 and served as a startling reminder of the vital role that women play in the economy and productivity of the country.

Some responded to the strike in different ways, particularly those who reside in countries where women are subjected to considerably worse circumstances in all spheres of life—including work, education, safety, and access to fundamental human rights. Consider India, which was ranked 135th out of 146 nations in the 2022 Global Gender Gap (GGG) Index by the United Nations (UN). In spite of widespread lobbying and women’s rights groups advocating for equal rights and wage equity, only 14 countries worldwide—including India—have laws stipulating such. As seen by data on women’s employment, implementation has been challenging even in these countries. However, these laws and the advancements they have brought about over time are the outcome of the protracted struggle for equality waged by feminist organizations, activists, writers, and millions of everyday women who have gone to the streets time and time again.

The global fight against the pay gap has been protracted and difficult. This is a chronology of some of the major demonstrations and events that have been held in response to the gender pay gap worldwide to date:

Women’s suffrage campaigns began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and they promoted women’s rights, especially economic equality, in numerous European nations as well as the US and the UK. These campaigns formed the core of First Wave Feminism and served as a catalyst for subsequent pay gap demonstrations.

1911: After a protracted and acrimonious dispute, New York’s female teachers were eventually awarded the same salary as their male colleagues by the Board of Education, setting a major precedent for women’s equality in the workplace.

1918: The First World War forced more women to work in nations including the US and the UK, sparking worker demands for equal pay and sporadic demonstrations. However, by the war’s conclusion, the demand had diminished.

1949: To protest their meager pay, one hundred female cleaners marched through London in the “Mops on the March” demonstration. Members of the UK Civil Service Union, these ladies were paid a pitiful 34c per hour and wanted an increase to 40c from Chancellor of Exchequer Sir Stafford Cripps at that time. Their banners said, “Cleanliness is next to godliness,” and they carried them. Among other things, “women cleaners are next to starvation.”

In order to eradicate pay differences based on gender for positions demanding equal ability, effort, and responsibility, the United States established the Equal Pay Act in 1963. Despite this, women were not granted equal opportunity or the advantages of the legislation.

1968: Demanding equal pay for themselves and their male coworkers, female sewing machinists at Ford Motor Company in Dagenham, England, launched a workplace strike in July. After extensive negotiations, the ladies agreed to a 92% rise, bringing an end to the well-known protest. Many claim that the demonstration had a significant influence and even contributed to the UK’s 1970 adoption of the Equal Pay Act.

1970: On August 26, the 50th anniversary of the 19th Amendment’s ratification, which granted women the right to vote, approximately 50,000 women marched through New York City as part of the Women’s Strike for Equality in the US, which was led by second-wave feminists including Betty Freidan. In general, the demonstration had three self-stated objectives: free childcare, equal opportunity in the workplace, and free abortion.

1970s: Equal pay received increased attention as a result of the second wave of feminism. To bring attention to the pay disparity, women have organized rallies and demonstrations in a number of nations, including the US, UK, and Canada.

1975: The First World Conference on Women, which included gender equality and related economic concerns including the pay gap, was held in Mexico City thanks to the concerted efforts of women and forced by the UN. For the first time, women in Iceland celebrate “Women’s Day Off” on a large scale.

1970s–1980s: The Indian feminist movement gained momentum as demonstrations against the gender wage gap and other concerns were led by intersectional feminists with liberal, Ambedkarite, and communist backgrounds. The Equal Remuneration Act, 1976, which was enacted by the Indian government in 1976, temporarily outlawed pay discrimination against women.

1981: The Canadian government created the Royal Commission on the Status of Women in response to large-scale demonstrations, raising awareness of concerns related to wage inequality.

Ninety percent of Icelandic women protested pay inequality and other gender inequities in 1990 at the country’s “Women’s Day Off” demonstration.

1994: In an effort to close the pay gap between racial and gender groupings, South Africa’s post-Apartheid government adopts laws addressing employment equality and equal pay for equal labor in response to years of agitation, rallies, and street protests by feminists.

Late 1990s and early 2000s: To address pay fairness and the female wage gap, a number of nations, notably Australia and the United Kingdom, enacted laws and initiatives.

2010: In a protest against the gender wage disparity, feminists in Sweden barbecue large amounts of cash. According to the Feminist Initiative Party, the money that has been burned represents the amount of time that women in Sweden lose out on each minute when compared to males. The celebration is said to have burned 100,000 Swedish kronor, a gesture that at the time was criticized as “desperate.” Swedish women who worked full-time in 2008 made 19% less money than males did. It was 9.9% in 2022, which may have been a result of how well these demonstrations worked.

2017: In response to International Women’s Day, the US observes a “Day Without a Woman” protest. To bring attention to gender inequality, particularly the salary gap, women are urged to take time off from work and participate in various types of protest.

2017: Millions of women, including LGBTQ+ women, take to the streets nationwide for the Women’s March, which is held in the wake of President Donald Trump’s inauguration to support gender equality, particularly wage parity. Beyond the US, the march attracted enormous worldwide involvement; it is believed that 7 million people marched peacefully in support of equality, freedom, and human rights that day around the globe, including far-flung nations like Antarctica. One of the most iconic pictures from the march, which was mostly coordinated via social media hashtag campaigns, was the pink “pussyhat,” which was created as part of a drive to knit and sew one million hats for demonstrators to wear during the marches.

2018 saw a large-scale mobilization of Brazilian women against President Jair Bolsonaro’s reelection. Bolsonaro has strongly defended sexual assault and the widening gender pay disparity in his nation. Millions of people expressed their disapproval by tweeting the hashtag #NotHim. Brazilian women have demonstrated against Bolsonaro’s sexist remarks and policies on previous occasions, so this was not the first or the last time they did so.

2019: Millions of women in Mexico abstain from work and other activities as part of the “Un Dia Sin Nosotras” (A Day Without Us) protest against gender-based violence and discrimination, which includes unfair pay.

2020: Gender and LGBTQ+ gaps in the workforce are revealed and made worse by the COVID-19 epidemic. The emphasis of advocacy campaigns and protests is on these differences and the need for improved workplace regulations.

2021: To protest the “25 percent pay gap” between men and women, over 30,000 women, activists, and workers take part in a “feminist strike” in Paris, France on Women’s Day. Many of the women who came brought musical instruments to gently express their statement while wearing their work clothes.

2022: In October, hundreds of mothers participated in the “March of the Mummies” through the streets of the United Kingdom, escorted by Nigerian feminist writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and others. The purpose of the demonstration, which was organized by the civil society organization Pregnant Then Screwed, was to demand changes to the UK childcare industry, which takes advantage of women’s unpaid labor.

2023: In July, before the movie’s premiere, writers and actresses from the “Barbie” film staged a walkout to demand better compensation and working conditions. Paradoxically, the movie received praise on social media for addressing gender norms in the actual world. In actuality, protests over the same have been going on for a while among members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). Regardless of gender, the average performer in these unions earned a pitiful $53,170 in 2021—a pittance by American standards. However, female actresses earn far less.

In 2023, Iceland takes a bold stance against gender inequality and gender-based violence, as seen by the Prime Minister participating in the women’s strike for a day in solidarity.