Working and Going to School: Childhood experiences in post-war Reykjavík

Abstract

Child labor was generally viewed in a positive way in 20th century Iceland. The school year was shorter than in the neighboring countries and a large majority of children in Reykjavík had possibilities to spend summer in rural areas working on farms. In the fishing industry there was also demand for surplus labor especially during periods of economic boom. Despite opportunities for children to find work during summer, ambitions to prolong the school year in urban areas appeared during the 1950s. Those ambitions were met with suspicion from the part of the children who preferred to work.