Podcast Summary: Amanpour – "The Day Iceland Stood Still"

Date: December 22, 2025
Host: Christiane Amanpour (CNN)
Guests:

• Hatla Thomas Doltier (President of Iceland)
• Pamela Hogan (Director, "The Day Iceland Stood Still")
• Gail Young (Author, Journalist)
• Cory Doctorow (Author, Tech Activist)
  Episode Theme:
  This episode explores landmark moments and ongoing struggles in global gender equality, focusing on Iceland’s transformative 1975 women's strike, activism against female genital mutilation in Egypt, and the decline of the open internet.

Overview

Amanpour highlights pivotal stories of women demanding equality: Iceland's 1975 women's strike that helped transform the nation into a gender equality leader, journalist Gail Young’s reporting on female genital mutilation in Egypt, and a discussion with Cory Doctorow on the modern decline of internet platforms and what meaningful reform might look like.

Iceland's Women's Strike — "The Day Iceland Stood Still"

[01:06–13:45]

Setting the Scene

• On October 24, 1975, 90% of Icelandic women went on strike, refusing to work at jobs or at home, to demand recognition and equality.
• This event became foundational for Iceland, now acclaimed as the world’s most gender-equal country.

Key Insights and Reflections

• Hatla Thomas Doltier shares personal memories:
  • At age 7, the strike coincided with her mother’s birthday—she remembers her mother and aunts "were not baking and cleaning, … they were on a strike, and they were having fun while doing it. Pretty much nothing worked in Iceland that day." (04:41)
  • The strike was about showing that "they matter," sparking her own belief in the importance of being seen and valued.
• Pamela Hogan (Director):
  • Discovered the story in Iceland ten years ago, surprised at its lack of global prominence.
  • "There's nothing new in the world except the history that you do not know." (05:41)
  • Impressed by the women's humor and joy in protest: "They used humor to open people’s ears." (05:41)

Notable Moments and Quotes

• The Impact of Role Models:
  • Women who, as girls, were told they couldn't be captains or lawyers subsequently became Iceland’s first female president and Supreme Court justice.
  • "I felt as an 11-year-old girl that anything was possible." – Hatla Thomas Doltier on the election of Iceland’s first female president (08:24)
• Normalization of Women’s Leadership:
  • Importance of not just being "first" but repeated elections and appointments making women’s leadership the new normal, not the exception. (08:24–09:44)

Historical and Social Context

• Iceland, only 50 years ago, was a society where women’s names weren’t on doorbells or in phone books, and jobs were openly divided (and paid less) for women. (10:31)
• The strike unified women across political lines by adopting "Women’s Day Off" instead of "strike," making it inclusive. (12:06)
• Economic and Social Outcomes:
  • The repeated strikes and focus on gender equality have led to Iceland’s high rankings in GDP per capita, well-being, and happiness, as well as gender equality. (13:45)

Memorable Audio Clips

• The "battle cry" song unified and motivated women on strike: "Every movement have their battle song because it unites the souls." – Clip introduced by Amanpour (14:33)
• Story about men cooking hot dogs, the only meal many could prepare, underscoring the strike’s effect on both women and men (17:22).

Reflections on Inclusion of Men and Ongoing Challenges

• Doltier emphasizes involving men and boys in gender equality work:
  • "We would not be this far…if it wasn't also in the interest of men."
  • Acknowledges that care jobs (teaching, elderly care) remain undervalued—and that full gender parity is yet to be achieved, even in Iceland.
  • Advocates for affordable childcare, equal paternity leave, and addressing violence and wage gaps (17:22–20:27).

Investigative Journalism and FGM in Egypt: Gail Young’s Memoir

[21:45–37:28]

Background

• Gail Young, former CNN Cairo bureau chief, memoirist, discusses her reporting from Egypt that helped spark changes in attitudes and policies on female genital mutilation (FGM).

Key Stories and Takeaways

• Personal Historical Perspective:
  • Young’s memoir weaves her own Middle East reporting with the life of Queen Zenobia, drawing parallels about ambition, misogyny, and culture.
  • "The Adventures of Two Women 17 centuries apart." – Gail Young (24:06)
• Groundbreaking Coverage of FGM:
  • Young and her team documented the circumcision of a 10-year-old girl, Negla, showing the normalized, celebratory mindset of families despite the traumatic impact on girls:
    • "Negla's family fears that without circumcision, she'll become sexually promiscuous... It's not known why Egyptians traditionally circumcise their daughters. Family believes it's part of Islam, but religious scholars disagree." (26:39)
  • Negla’s reaction—turning to her father and saying, “there is a sin upon all of you. ... I didn't want to be circumcised and you did it to me.” – was "the most powerful point of that story." (28:48)
• Impact and Aftermath:
  • The report caused national and international uproar and is frequently cited as a catalyst for reform.
  • President Mubarak’s televised discomfort when pressed by Amanpour is highlighted; initial steps followed toward restricting FGM in public health.
  • "Studies showed it was at 97% [prevalence]; now, some surveys suggest that only 15% of urban girls are circumcised." – Gail Young (33:06)

Quotes & Reflections

• "I believe those stories to this day are still very important because they are snapshots of life that sometimes get overlooked because there's so much breaking news." – Gail Young on journalism’s power to create change (**34:19–34:55&)
• "As journalists we can use our natural curiosity… just try to understand and ask that why." – Young, recalling Amanpour confronting an attacker in Algeria by calmly asking "Why do you want to kill us? Why?" (36:28–37:02)

The Internet’s Decline and How to Fix It: Cory Doctorow Interview

[39:12–54:24]

Key Concepts: 'Enshittification'

• Definition (Cory Doctorow):
  • Platforms attract users with good service, lock them in, then worsen service for users to benefit business clients. Once both are dependent, platforms siphon off value to owners/shareholders. (39:54–41:01)
  • Facebook, for example, first cared about users, then advertisers, then only itself.

Mechanisms and Broader Trends

• Loss of Competition:
  • "We used to have mechanisms that punished companies for being bad to us. ... Since Reagan, we've waved through every merger except for four years under Biden." (43:59)
  • Facebook's purchase of Instagram cited as a prime example.
• Uber's Model:
  • "The Saudis subsidized 41 cents out of every dollar of all our taxi rides for more than a decade. ... When Uber starts to raise prices and cut wages... we’re often without any other alternative." (46:26)
  • Uber's algorithmic wage discrimination that gradually diminishes driver pay is now spreading to other industries like nursing.
• Barriers to Change:
  • Regulatory capture, lack of privacy laws ("the last privacy law ... makes it illegal for video store clerks to disclose your VHS rentals"), and proprietary tech locking users into platforms. (43:59–45:59, 52:51–54:17)

Proposed Solutions

• Systemic, Policy-Based Interventions:
  • A federal privacy law with real enforcement.
  • Policies promoting interoperability—making it easy for users to leave platforms and maintain their social connections.
  • Opposing laws that criminalize reverse engineering (e.g., for app ad-blockers, alternatives, etc.).
  • Grassroots advocacy by organizations like the Electronic Frontier Foundation. (49:57)
• Quote: "If [tech platforms] want to be creatures of the free market, then they should stop using state intervention to prevent new market entry and to prevent end users from getting a better deal." (52:51)

Other Notable Segments

• Japan’s First Female PM:
  • Brief mention at episode’s end: Sanae Takeichi elected as Japan’s first female prime minister, celebrated as "Japan’s Iron Lady." (54:27)

Memorable Quotes & Moments by Timestamp

• Hatla Thomas Doltier:

  • "If women don’t work, everything collapses." (01:06, 03:09)
  • "We are going to show them that we can stop this society." (03:13)
  • "When women are not at work, very few things work out well, at least." (04:41)
  • "Anything was possible." – On first female President’s election (08:24)

• Pamela Hogan:

  • "Nothing new in the world except the history that you do not know." (05:41)
  • "They used humor to open people’s ears." (05:41)

• Gail Young:

  • "This is a pivotal moment because this story will jolt them into action." (31:30)
  • "The fact that she screamed at her parents... was the most powerful point of that story." (28:48)
  • "The Adventures of Two Women 17 centuries apart." (24:06)

• Cory Doctorow:

  • "Platforms are good to their end users. They find a way to lock those end users in, and once it’s hard for them to leave, they make things worse for them..." (39:54)
  • "If they want to be creatures of the free market, well, then let them give up the power to invoke the state to prevent people from deciding how their own property works." (52:51)

Key Takeaways

• Iceland sets a global example for gender equality, achieved by grassroot activism that brought humor, solidarity, and long-term normalization of women’s leadership.
• Investigative journalism can be a catalyst for cultural and legal change, as in Egypt's marked decline in FGM following global attention and government action.
• Modern technology platforms are increasingly exploitative due to lack of competition, weak regulation, and systemically lock in both users and business clients; meaningful legislative and policy reforms are crucial for reversing this decline.

Suggested Listening by Topic & Timestamp

• Iceland’s Women's Strike, Documentary Discussion: 01:06–20:40
• FGM, Investigative Journalism: 21:45–37:28
• Cory Doctorow, Internet Reform: 39:12–54:24

This summary captures the richness, tone, and insights of the episode, structured for easy navigation and deeper understanding—valuable for those who haven’t listened yet.