Fifty years will have passed this coming 24 October since the Women’s Day Off, when Icelandic women stopped work to highlight the importance of their contribution to the labour market. To mark the occasion, the ASÍ Art Museum has produced short-sleeved t-shirts featuring an artwork by visual artist Ragnheiður Jónsdóttir. Efling is now offering 30 of these t-shirts as a gift to its members – first come, first served.
Women’s associations organised the Women’s Day Off in 1975, women’s groups, and trade unions, in recognition of the fact that the United Nations General Assembly had designated the decade from 1975 to 1985 as the UN Decade for Women. It is estimated that up to 90% of Icelandic women stopped work on 24 October 1975. Around 25,000 women gathered at an outdoor rally on Lækjartorg square in downtown Reykjavík, and similar gatherings were held in towns across the country to draw attention to the importance of women’s work.
Following the strike, Ragnheiður Jónsdóttir created two graphic artworks. One of them, “24 October, 23 Minutes to Three”, shows the crowd at Lækjartorg and Arnarhóll, surrounding the old clock which still stands on the square in front of the Prime Minister’s Office. This is the image now printed on the t-shirts by the ASÍ Art Museum.
As noted, Efling is giving away 30 of these t-shirts to its members. They are available in sizes S to XXL and come in either black or white. You can pick up a shirt at Efling’s reception, located on the 4th floor of Guðrúnartún 1. Today, Friday, the office is open until 14:00, and on other weekdays from 09:00 to 15:00.