Icelandic Women Will Effectively Work For Free From October 30 Onwards

Due to the gender wage gap, women across Europe will effectively be working without pay for a large portion of the year. In Iceland, that date begins on October 30.

According to data compiled from Eurostat on the gender wage gap in different European countries, Iceland is in the top ten percentile for largest gender wage gaps. Estonia ranked first, with women in that country effectively working without pay from September 23, with a gender wage gap of about 27%.

At the same time, the smallest gap was found in Italy and Luxembourg. With a gender wage gap of about 5%, women in those countries will “only” be working without wages for two weeks.

Women in Iceland, where the gender wage gap is about 17.5%, will effectively work without pay from October 30. It bears mentioning that, according to Statistics Iceland, the gender wage gap in Iceland is 16.1% in 2016, down from 17% in 2015.

“This study brings the devastating effects of the gender pay gap into clear focus,” Adelle Kehoe of Expert Market said in a statement. “It is absolutely astonishing that in the 21st century women are still suffering such financial penalties merely because of their gender. I hope this report encourages women across Europe to continue to campaign for gender equality in the workplace and in society as a whole.”

Below is the full infographic of when women begin working without pay in which countries, courtesy of Expert Market: