The U.N.-designated International Women’s Day is observed on March 8th every year, commemorating the struggle for women’s rights across the globe.

In the U.S., Organizers of January’s Women’s March have called for women to take the day off and encouraged them not to spend money to show their economic strength and impact on American society.

“A Day Without a Woman” on Wednesday is the first major action by organizers since the nationwide marches held the day after President Donald Trump’s inauguration that drew millions of women into the streets in protest against misogyny, inequality and oppression. It is unclear how many women could participate, thousands across the country have signaled their support and interest online and to employers.

The infographic below shows the countries where women either disagree very much or disagree somewhat that they “have full equality with men and freedom to reach their full dreams and aspirations”. 

You will find more statistics at Statista

The U.N. secretary general says the effective way to protect the rights of women is by prioritizing the empowerment of women.

Antonio Guterres, speaking in Nairobi where he is in an official visit, said Wednesday priority should be given for the “full presence of women” in government institutions, political systems, and business among other aspects of society.

Showing support on the International Women’s Day, hundreds have joined a protest by women in tiny Montenegro against cuts in state aid for mothers of three or more children.

In Puerto Rico, more than 100 women clad in purple T-shirts blocked one of the island’s main highways as they linked arms and marched through the capital of San Juan at dawn.
Dozens of women lay on the ground and read out the names of women killed by their partners in Romania to draw attention to their plight on International Women’s Day.

Inclusion into the workforce is an important parameter when measuring the advancement of women. To mark International Women’s Day on Tuesday (March 8) The Economist has updated its so-called glass-ceiling index. It aims to show which countries that are members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) offer women the best chances of equal treatment at the work place.

You will find more statistics at Statista

Women across Poland are staging rallies and marches to demand protection against violence, equal rights and respect.

About 200 people gathered Wednesday in Madrid’s central Puerta del Sol to mark International Women’s Day and support a group of women who, a day earlier, ended a hunger strike to demand politicians’ action against domestic violence.

In Manila, Philippines, hundreds of activists from left-wing women’s groups protested Wednesday at the U.S. Embassy, where they burned a mock U.S. flag with President Donald Trump’s image, before joining a bigger rally outside the presidential palace.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has approved a five-year national action plan supporting women’s interests.

The signing came on International Women’s Day on Wednesday.

Valentina Matvienko, who as speaker of the upper house of parliament is one of Russia’s most prominent female politicians, calls the strategy a “gift to all the women of Russia.”

The plan sets out broad terms for improving women’s health, their economic opportunities and their involvement in the country’s politics.

Meanwhile, Russian news reports say seven women have been arrested after a demonstration on Moscow’s Red Square marking International Women’s Day.

Germany airline Lufthansa says six all-female crews are flying in support of International Women’s Day and to try and drum up interest in the industry among more women.

Only six percent of the pilots in the Lufthansa Group currently are women, but Lufthansa’s working to increase that number. Around 80 percent of cabin staff are female.

Sweden’s women’s football team marked International Women’s Day by replacing the names on the back of their jersey’s with tweets from Swedish women “who have struggled to gain ground in their respective field.”

President Donald Trump is taking note of Wednesday’s U.N.-designated International Women’s Day, and asking his Twitter followers to join him in “honoring the critical role of women” in the United States and around the world.

Finland — the first country in the world to grant women political rights — will later this year create a $160,000 (150,000-euro) International Gender Equality Prize that will be given to “a dedicated defender and builder of equality.”

The leaders of Cyprus’ Christian and Muslim faithful are pledging to work with authorities and help end violence against women and girls on the ethnically divided island.

Some 200 women gathered for a march to mark International Women’s Day in Tokyo, protesting against low wages, long hours and other obstacles that make their lives difficult.

Denmark’s minister for gender equality, Karen Ellemann, is focusing on paternity leave on International Women’s Day, saying equality between the sexes “also means equal opportunities to be a parent.”

Scores of women working in the childcare industry in Australia have walked off the job early on International Women’s Day to protest what they deem inadequate pay rates.

Story by The Associated Press, Reuters, and Statista.