Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Comment
María Hjálmtýsdóttir

Iceland’s shorter working week has been a huge success – and it’s changed my family’s life

Austurstraeti in central Reykjavík, 3 October 2024.
Austurstraeti in central Reykjavík, 3 October 2024. Photograph: Sigga Ella/The Guardian

I like to walk around old cemeteries and read the headstones. Here in Iceland, it has been customary to engrave people’s job titles below their names and as I age I find myself wondering if mine will say “Teacher”. Although I love my work, I kind of hope it will not.

Through the centuries, women’s headstones have rarely had titles other than “Housewife” or perhaps “Wife of [insert husband’s job title]”. Although today women in Iceland have all sorts of jobs, we have yet to reach full equality. But an important step on that journey has been the shortening of the 40-hour working week to 36 hours.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.