Human Rights

A #DayWithoutAWoman Prompts Marches, Walkouts And Lots Of Red

On International Women's Day, women were encouraged to skip work to highlight how much they bring to the workforce.

A #DayWithoutAWoman Prompts Marches, Walkouts And Lots Of Red
Getty Images

Some women are staying home from work to send a message. 

"A Day Without a Woman" corresponds with International Women's Day. The goal is to highlight how much women bring to the workforce despite wage inequality, discrimination and sexual harassment. 

Since the early 1900s, International Women's Day has been observed in some form to call for gender equality. 

Marches and walkouts were planned around the world, and women were encouraged to avoid shopping.

Some school districts canceled classes because so many teachers said they'd be staying home.

On social media, some women — and men — showed solidarity by wearing red. 

A Woman's Job — The Football Coach
A Woman's Job — The Football Coach

A Woman's Job — The Football Coach

This Newsy original series highlights women paving their own way in male-dominated fields. This week: Jen Welter, the first woman to coach in the NFL.

LEARN MORE

The "Day Without a Woman" was organized by the same group that inspired the Women's March in response to President Donald Trump's inauguration. 

In the U.S., women make up nearly 47 percent of the labor force. And the median annual earnings for women in 2014 were more than $10,000 below the median earnings for men.