Tens of thousands of women in Iceland, including Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir, are refusing to work on Tuesday.
The “kvennafrí”, or women’s day off, has been called in protest at the gender pay gap and gender-based violence.
Fields in which women form the majority of workers, such as healthcare and education, are especially affected.
The planned walkout marks the first full-day women’s strike since 1975.
Women and non-binary people have been urged to refuse paid and unpaid work on Tuesday, including household chores.
Some preschools and primary schools are closed, while some others that remain open are offering reduced services. Some museums, city libraries and zoos are also affected.
“I will not work this day, as I expect all the women [in cabinet] will do as well,” Iceland’s PM Ms Jakobsdóttir told the mbl.is website ahead of the protest.
Ms Jakobsdóttir said her government is looking into how female-dominated professions are valued, in comparison to fields traditionally dominated by men.
