On October 24^th, tens of thousands of women in Iceland refused to go to work – including Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir. This walkout comes as a result of protests highlighting the gender pay gap and gender-based violence against women in the nation and is the first time a women’s strike has occurred in the nation since 1975.

The effects of this kvennafrí (“women’s day off”) were especially profound in fields largely composed of women, especially healthcare and education; women make up 94% of the nation’s kindergarten teachers, as well as 80% of the workforce at the National University Hospital of Iceland, the largest hospital in the country. The strike therefore resulted in the temporary closure of some preschools and primary schools, as well as affecting some museums, libraries, and zoos, which offered reduced services.

“I will not work this day,” Jakobsdóttir said in a statement, “as I expect all the women [in cabinet] will do as well.”

The organizer of the strike, Kristín Ástgeirsdóttir, said that the prevalence of violence against women was a main reason for the walkout. “Violence against women is deeply rooted in our culture,” Ástgeirsdóttir said, despite the fact that Iceland has been called an “equality paradise.” (The World Economic Forum has ranked the nation as having the best gender equality worldwide for 14 consecutive years, with a score of 91.2%.) Those participating in the strike, Reuters says, are calling out the urgency of change and action to address the nation’s gender disparities.

Iceland’s last kvennafrí, in 1975, was done to demonstrate how important women were to the economy, despite the lack of recognition of this in law. The walkout resulted in Parliament passing an equal pay law, and former Icelandic president Vigdís Finnbogadóttir gave credit to the strike for her 1980 election win. In fact, as the world’s first democratically elected female head of state, Finnbogadóttir’s success – and therefore, the strike – paved the way for many women.

But addressing the issue legally is only half of the battle, as the social biases against women remain strong. Simply including women’s rights and equality in the law is not enough to address the underlying issues. The first steps towards addressing social biases must include awareness and education, starting at young ages. By raising awareness and teaching people about how women are affected by this deep-rooted culture of sexism and misogyny, future generations can begin to look at their society and the world around them differently and begin to change the biases against women.

This kvennafrí will hopefully raise more awareness and serve to spark conversations about the inherent biases women face throughout the nation. While Iceland currently demonstrates further gender equality than any other nation, the strike shows that more can always be done. With the precedent of the 1975 strike’s success, this walkout stands a strong chance of enacting legal and cultural change, potentially prompting even other countries to take initiative and do better on their female citizens’ behalves.