Forward, Girls: Freedom Is in Sight
This is the anthem of the women’s strike days in Iceland.
Women’s strike days in Iceland—above all the historic strike on 24 October 1975, in which 90% of women participated and brought the country to a standstill to draw attention to gender inequality—are a landmark event that led to major political changes, including the Equality Act and the election of the country’s first woman president.
Since then, women’s strikes have taken place repeatedly, most recently in 2023 and 2025, to highlight ongoing inequalities such as the gender pay gap, which still exists in Iceland despite its reputation as a global leader in gender equality.
According to the World Economic Forum, Iceland has been ranked the most gender-equal country in the world since 2005.
Thank you to Margrét Run for compiling this article.
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Forward, Girls: Freedom Is in Sight
Lyrics: Dagný Kristjánsdóttir & Kristján Jónsson
Freedom now is in our sight,
long denied, withheld too long.
Women gather, stand united,
bearing symbols of the fight.
Now the moment has arrived.
Let us join our hands as one
and hold firmly to our cause,
though some wish to turn us back
and others choose to stand still—
we will never side with that.
But do I dare, do I want, can I?
Yes, I dare, I want, I can.
But do I dare, do I want, can I?
Yes, I dare, I want, I can.
And later children will say:
“Look, my mother cleared the way.”
Yes, later children will say:
“This is exactly the world I want.”
Yes, I dare, I want, I can.
But do I dare, do I want, can I?
Yes, I dare, I want, I can.
Forward, girls, rise to your feet,
tear apart old, binding roots—
a thousand years of women’s chains.
When the individual acts,
our numbers turn into strength,
and we bring about countless changes.
Votes we hold in overflowing hands,
we will set politics right,
build equality and solidarity.
Forward, girls, here is my hand,
let us tie our friendships tight,
no more dancing half-afraid.
Let us build a new world together,
by strong women, in every land,
leaving not a single weak link.
Our children inherit all we’ve learned—
we show through our unity
the power of collective strength.
Girls, look back just for a moment
at all that women have endured,
look back in rage over your shoulder.
If you carry struggle behind you,
lift your head and speak out loud,
let all doubt dissolve—so much is won.
Yet so much still lacks an answer:
Why is real equality still so small?
When will all people be counted equal,
doing the same work, earning the same pay?
Freedom now is in our sight,
long denied, withheld too long.
Women gather, stand united,
bearing symbols of the fight.
Now the moment has arrived.
Let us join our hands as one
and hold firmly to our cause,
though some wish to turn us back
and others choose to stand still—
we will never side with that.
But do I dare, do I want, can I?
Yes, I dare, I want, I can.
But do I dare, do I want, can I?
Yes, I dare, I want, I can.
Áfram stelpur: Í augsýn er nú frelsi
Texti: Dagný Kristjánsdóttir og Kristján Jónsson
Í augsýn er nú frelsi
og fyrr það mátti vera,
nú fylkja konur liði
og frelsismerki bera.
Stundin er runnin upp.
Tökumst allar hönd í hönd
og höldum fast á málum
þó ýmsir vilji aftur á bak
en aðrir standa í stað,
tökum við aldrei undir það.
En þori ég, vil ég, get ég?
Já, ég þori, get og vil.
En þori ég, vil ég, get ég?
Já ég þori, get og vil.
Og seinna börnin segja:
sko mömmu, hún hreinsaði til.
Já seinna börnin segja:
Þetta er einmitt sú veröld sem ég vil.
Já, ég þori, get og vil.
En þori ég, vil ég, get ég?
Já ég þori, get og vil.
Áfram stelpur, standa á fætur,
slítum allar gamlar rætur,
þúsund ára kvennakúgunar.
Ef einstaklingurinn er virkur
verður fjöldinn okkar styrkur
og við gerum ótal breytingar.
Atkvæði eigum við í hrönnum,
komum pólitíkinni í lag,
sköpum jafnrétti og bræðralag.
Áfram stelpur, hér er höndin,
hnýtum saman vinaböndin,
verum ekki deigar dansinn í.
Byggjum nýjan heim með höndum,
hraustra kvenna í öllum löndum,
látum enga linku vera í því.
Börnin eignast alla okkar reynslu,
sýnum með eigin einingu,
aflið í fjöldasamstöðu.
Stelpur horfið ögn til baka
á allt sem hefur konur þjakað,
stelpur horfið bálreiðar um öxl.
Ef baráttu að baki áttu
berðu höfðu hátt og láttu
efann hverfa, unnist hefur margt.
Þó er mörgu ekki svarað enn:
Því er ekki jafnréttið mikið í raun,
hvenær verða allir menn taldir menn
með sömu störf og líka sömu laun?
Í augsýn er nú frelsi
og fyrr það mátti vera,
nú fylkja konur liði
og frelsismerki bera.
Stundin er runnin upp.
Tökumst allar hönd í hönd
og höldum fast á málum
þó ýmsir vilji aftur á bak
en aðrir standa í stað,
tökum við aldrei undir það.
En þori ég, vil ég, get ég?
Já, ég þori, get og vil.
En þori ég, vil ég, get ég?
Já ég þori, get og vil.
Lyrics: Dagný Kristjánsdóttir & Kristján Jóhann Jónsson, Composer: Gunnar Edander, SIngers: Margrét Helga Jóhannsdóttir · Kristín Á. Ólafsdóttir · Sigrún Björnsdóttir · Bríet Héðinsdóttir · Steinunn Jóhannesdóttir · Anna Kristín Arngrímsdóttir · Guðrún Alfreðsdóttir.
℗ 1975 Alda Music Released on: 1975-01-01
