Socialist feminists support women's strike

The Socialist Party of Iceland wholeheartedly supports the women's strike on Tuesday, October 24th, and encourages women and non-binary people to put forward clear demands and not return to work until these have been met. We live in a time where the common people are forced to take up a harder struggle if they do not want to be crushed under capitalism. There are only two options: to fight against capitalism or give up.In the prefaceFeminism for the 99 Percent – Manifestostates:„We can thank neoliberalism for this lack of options: this exceptionally aggressive, financialized form of capitalism that has held sway for the last forty years. After poisoning the atmosphere, mocking all democratic attempts, pushing everything social to the brink, and severely damaging the living conditions of the vast majority, this form of capitalism has made what is at stake in all social movements considerably greater and more serious – in fact, transforming modest efforts into a fierce struggle for life and death. Under such circumstances, the time for sitting on the sidelines is over, and feminists simply must take a stand: will we continue to strive for 'equal opportunities for oppression' while the earth burns? Or will we rather rethink gender justice in an anti-capitalist way – leading us out of the current crisis to a new society.”Socialist feminists, who operate within the Socialist Party, have listed the demands of feminists in these post-neoliberal times as follows:Socialist feminists are people who reject capitalist social order and governance and demand a humane system built on the ideology of socialism where human rights, human dignity, equality, and solidarity are guiding principles.Capitalism or the plutocratic system that we live under today, where the profits from property and means of production, real estate and capital, even our resources, flow to a few chosen ones with growing inequality on all fronts, is unacceptable.We refuse to be marginalized on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, skin color, ability, physical or mental prowess, body type, language proficiency, education, nationality, religion, origin, culture, or other characteristics that create our uniqueness within human society, and we refuse to be pitted against each other. We want the freedom to celebrate these characteristics without them being used as a reason to diminish our human rights or general quality of life.

• We demand that all people live with economic security and justice.
• We demand the abolition of the low-wage policy and that the valuation of societal jobs be re-evaluated so that traditional women's jobs and invisible labor result in a decent livelihood on par with other jobs.
• We demand that all people live with housing security.
• We demand that no person should have to live with a lack of healthy food or drinking water.
• We demand that all people live in peace and equality and that no person should have to endure violence or persecution.
• We demand that all people have real access to robust welfare services where solutions are tailored to their needs.
• We demand that all people can live with physical and mental health and have real access to healthcare services.
• We demand that all people have real access to education and that all discrimination in education be abolished at all levels of study.
• We demand that the voices of marginalized groups in society are heard and that they are listened to.
• We demand that all people have the opportunity to actively participate in society and receive appropriate assistance to make that participation possible.
• We demand that people's right to self-determination over their own bodies is respected, people have an unrestricted right to abortion, control over their fertility, and full authority over their own sexual freedom.
• We demand that no person is forced to sell access to their body in order to survive and that no person can exploit the distress of another for their own gain.
• We demand that the rights of children are truly respected regardless of their parents' status and family structure.
• We demand that the fight against human trafficking and slavery is taken seriously and that victims of such crimes receive special protection and adequate assistance in this country.
• We demand that Iceland adopts socialist governance and ceases its participation in capitalist institutions and warfare.
• We demand that systematic work is done on nature conservation and against the destruction and climate catastrophes that capitalism and neoliberalism entail.
• We demand that nations work together on solutions for peace and climate issues and that discrimination based on nationality be abolished.
• We demand that people are not punished or discriminated against for not fitting into predetermined frameworks of the system and society. It is important that the diverse identities of all are allowed to flourish, such as the identities of trans women as well as all trans and queer people. Furthermore, people should not be punished for not wanting to have children or live in a traditional couple relationship, or choosing to be single with or without children.
• We demand that parental leave be defined as the right of the child and not linked to parents' earned rights in the labor market. The amount shall be based on a decent livelihood for the family and ensure that a child does not have to begin its life in poverty.
• We demand that all information obligations are fulfilled as required, for example, in the form of translations and in easy-to-read language for those who need it, so that no one unnecessarily loses their rights.
• We demand bread AND roses for all people!

Drafted and approved at a joint meeting of the Executive Board (Framkvæmdastjórn) and the Policy Board (Málefnastjórn) of the Socialist Party