When Unpaid Labour Goes on Strike
Unpaid labour – domestic, emotional and mental – forms a central pillar of our societies, yet remains largely invisible and undervalued. In 1975, when 90% of Icelandic women simultaneously stopped working, cooking and caring for children, the country came to a standstill. Drawing on feminist strikes, this discussion examines what such mobilisations reveal about the limits of traditional trade unionism. How can one strike from work that is unpaid and diffuse? And what forms of collective organisation might turn it into a site of political struggle?
This discussion will be recorded as an episode of the Renverser la table podcast.
Rachel Keke
Former member of French parliament, founder of D'invisible à visible
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Mathilde Blézat
Independent journalist and editor
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Une personne de la Grève Féministe Genève
Discussions are interpreted in English
The Day Iceland Stood Still
On 24 October 1975, 90% of Icelandic women stop working, cooking and caring for children. Within a single day, the country is brought to a halt. Told by the women who led the movement, this documentary retraces the twelve hours that transformed Iceland, combining testimonies, archival material and animation to recall the power of collective mobilisation. A vivid account that connects this historic struggle to ongoing feminist movements.
Pamela HOGAN
Krumma Films
Other Noises
Hrafnhildur Gunnarsdottir
