Women in U.S. plan to stay off the job,
rally in anti-Trump protests
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[March 08, 2017]
By Peter A Szekely
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Women in the United
States plan to use International Women's Day on Wednesday to stay off
the job and stage demonstrations across the country in an effort to
seize on the momentum built from the massive marches held a day after
President Donald Trump's inauguration.
On "A Day Without a Woman," those who are able to do so will stay away
from work or school, much as immigrants did on Feb. 16 to protest
Trump's immigration policies.
All are part of the series of anti-Trump demonstrations that have taken
place since the day after his Nov. 8 election.
Objectives of Wednesday's events include calling attention to the gender
pay gap in which women trail men, and deregulating reproductive rights.
"For years and years, March 8 has been International Women's Day, and it
has been a happy, happy day, which is fine," said Terry O'Neill,
president of the National Organization for Women. "But the political
climate that we find ourselves in right now requires us to have
political power."
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Demonstrations will target a Trump "gag order" that bars foreign health
providers receiving U.S. funds from raising abortion as an option,
O'Neill said.
American women on average earn 79 cents for every $1 that men make, and
African-American and Latina women make even less, O'Neill said. Since
women account for two-thirds of all minimum wage workers, lifting the
hourly wage would significantly narrow the pay gap, she said.
The minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 at the federal level since
2009, although it is higher in many states.
Organizers are attempting to repeat tactics from the Jan. 21 women's
march on Washington and other cities that came together largely through
social media.
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People listen to speakers in the rain at a rally for International
Women's Day in Los Angeles, California, U.S., March 5, 2017.
REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
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Women make up 47 percent of the U.S. civilian labor force. If all of
them stayed out of work for the day, it would knock almost $21
billion of the country's gross domestic product, the liberal leaning
Center for American Progress estimated.
Organizers, however, realize that many women lack the motivation or
cannot afford to take a day off and are urging women to limit their
shopping to female-owned businesses or to wear red.
Several schools, including at least two sizeable school districts in
Virginia and North Carolina, have canceled classes because a large
number of teachers requested the day off.
Rallies are planned in cities across the country, including
Washington, New York, Atlanta, St. Petersburg, Florida, Chicago, San
Francisco and Berkeley, California.
(Reporting by Peter Szekely; Editing by Daniel Trotta and Lisa
Shumaker)
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