Here’s What You Need to Know About the Women’s General Strike

After the success of the Women’s March on Washington in January, organizers were looking for another way to make their voices heard. With more marches planned in DC in coming months, Women’s March organizers wanted to continue their journey in ensuring true equality for women regardless of age, race or sexual orientation. While there have been calls for a general strike for some time, the organizers have chosen March 8 (International Woman’s Day) to continue their protests.

Why a “general strike?” The idea behind a women’s general strike is that it’s a day where women do not engage in their normal activities. This type of strike has been successful a number of times in Europe and Iceland, because when women stop working (both at their jobs and at home), life tends to stop running. A strike of this nature helps show why people are important in what they do. Think about the last time your city had a garbage strike or transit strike. Life does not continue on as normal, and that’s the entire point.

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In the spirit of women and their allies coming together for love and liberation, we offer A Day Without A Woman. We ask: do businesses support our communities, or do they drain our communities? Do they strive for gender equity or do they support the policies and leaders that perpetuate oppression? Do they align with a sustainable environment or do they profit off destruction and steal the futures of our children? We saw what happened when millions of us stood together in January, and now we know that our army of love greatly outnumbers the army of fear, greed and hatred. On March 8th, International Women’s Day, let’s unite again in our communities for A Day Without A Woman. Over the next few weeks we will be sharing more information on what actions on that day can look like for you. In the meantime, we are proud to support Strike4Democracy's #F17 National Day of Action to Push Back Against Assaults on Democratic Principles. This Friday, February 17th, gather your friends, families, neighbors, and start brainstorming ideas for how you can enhance your community, stand up to this administration, integrate resistance and self-care into your daily routine, and how you will channel your efforts for good on March 8th. Remember: this is a marathon, not a sprint. #DayWithoutAWoman #WomensMarch

A post shared by Women's March (@womensmarch) on Feb 14, 2017 at 11:15am PST

In their Instagram post announcing the strike, the organizers call on all women to remind the people in Washington who are trying so desperately to legislate them into submission that without us, life cannot go on as normal. They ask, “Do businesses support our communities, or do they drain our communities? Do they strive for gender equality or do they support the policies and leaders that perpetuate oppression?” The strike isn’t just about your nine to five job, though. It’s also about all the emotional work that women do.

With allies asking how they can help, some ways to support the general strike will be taking on extra work both at home and at work for those women who will not be engaging with their normal activities that day; bringing your lunch instead of buying it; avoiding shopping; maybe even taking to protest with those engaged in the act. As organizers remind us, “This is a marathon, not a sprint.”

Will you be participating in the Women’s General Strike? Tell us how @BritandCo!

(Photos via Barcroft Media + The Washington Post/Getty)