March 8 is International Women’s Day, and this year the organizers of the January Women’s March have declared it as a “Day Without a Woman.” Women are encouraged to go on strike from paid and unpaid labor alike, since women do the bulk of unpaid labor in their homes and relationships.
Even before the day started, we knew the strike would have an effect in some places, including a few school systems:
All 16 public schools in Alexandria, Virginia, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools in North Carolina, and at least one preschool in Brooklyn, New York, have canceled classes for International Women’s Day on March 8, anticipating staff shortages.
Schools in Prince George’s County, Maryland, are reportedly also closed. In New York, the Statue of Liberty’s lights went out, with officials claiming it was a technical problem, but …
It’s not possible for everyone to strike, though, since for many low-income workers doing so would mean losing income and possibly facing retaliation, so the organizers of the action have offered alternatives, including wearing red in solidarity, giving a caregiver the day off, not spending money except at "small, women-owned and minority-owned businesses that support us.” You may recognize those businesses because their owners have put up signs and red decorations, as at Ma Petite Shoe in Hampden, Maryland. Or those businesses may be on strike themselves, as at Violette Gluten Free Bakery in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Male allies are asked to “lean into care giving on March 8th, and use the day to call out decision-makers at the workplace and in the government to extend equal pay and adequate paid family leave for women.”
How are you observing the Day Without a Woman?