Women's March Organizers Announce Date of General Strike

An estimated 2.6 million people worldwide took part in the Women's March on Washington and its sister marches last month, Bustle reports. Now the organizers of that event are hoping similar numbers will stay home—or at least not show up to work. According to an announcement Tuesday, the organizers of the Women's March are holding a general strike on March 8—also known as International Women's Day. "General Strike: A Day Without a Woman" is being held in protest of White House policies and in support of gender equality, the Verge reports. Organizers say it's "in the spirit of women and their allies coming together for love and liberation."

Women's March organizers haven't said what exactly participants are expected to do during the general strike—though not showing up for work seems an obvious component—and more information will be released in the coming weeks, the Hill reports. In the meantime, organizers say supporters can ask themselves of businesses in their communities: "Do they strive for gender equity or do they support the policies and leaders that perpetuate oppression?" International Women's Day started in 1908 with women protesting in New York City for better pay and the right to vote. Within three years, it was a global event. (More general strike stories.)