Activists celebrate Women's Day with strikes, marches

Women in cities around the globe rallied for equality on International Women's Day. Their demands were varied, with some women fighting for wage equity as others sought gains in affordable child care and improved workers' rights.

Activists in the U.S. organized A Day Without a Woman protest designed to highlight women's economic power and significance. Participants were asked to boycott paid and unpaid work, refrain from shopping, wear red in solidarity, and press for equal pay and paid family leave in the workplace.

Here's a glimpse at how women around the world marked International Women's Day.

Thousands march in Melbourne

About 2,000 demonstrators joined protests in Melbourne, Australia, calling for economic equality. They also called for greater support of transgender women and sex workers.

Daycare workers across the country walked off the job early at 3:20 p.m. to protest the gender wage gap.

"3:20 represents the time that Australian women ostensibly start working for free in comparison to men if you take into account the gender pay gap," said Helen Gibbons, the union's assistant national secretary.

'3 o'clock, Stop'

Similarly, South Korean women in Seoul referred to the gender wage gap with signs that read, "Three o'clock, Stop." The protesters say wage disparities effectively sees them working for free after 3 p.m. The women also called for an end to sexual harassment in the workplace.

White House march

Activists marched past the White House in Washington, D.C. Similar marches were held in cities including Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Milwaukee.

'We are ready for change'

Bonnie Campos participated in the rally in Washington, D.C. to protest against U.S. President Donald Trump.

"I want our president to know that everyone is watching him, including our creator, and she's not happy. None of us are happy," she told CBC. "We are ready for change and so he better think twice and think maybe this was not the right job for him. And that he should step down. All of his cabinet should go, especially [Jeff] Sessions."

Men join march, protest Trump

Austin Barry also joined the march to protest the president.

"He doesn't face reality and that's why I'm here, because people really need to speak up, we can't let this go on," he said. "He's demonstrated over and over again he's not just incompetent, he's dangerous."

'The Fearless Girl' on Wall Street

A statue called The Fearless Girl was placed in front of Wall Street's famous Charging Bull. The statue was installed by the investment firm State Street as a call for women to be included on more corporate boards. A plaque at the statue's feet reads, "Know the power of women in leadership. SHE makes a difference."

'I stand for every woman'

Teacher Pia Martin clasps hands with a student arriving at the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia. Martin said she was participating in the A Day Without a Woman boycott as an act of social justice.

"I am committed to the reality that women's rights are human rights, and I stand for every woman who doesn't have the resources and ability to strike," she told the Philadelphia Public School Notebook. "I am her feet on the pavement."

New Delhi protests

Women in India arrive in New Delhi for a march organized by the One Billion Rising campaign that aims to end rape and violence against women. Protests gripped the country in 2012 when details of a gang rape and murder of a medical student were made public. Since then, women have pressed for greater protection.

Women occupy deserted housing units

Thousands of people gathered in empty government housing units in Bulacan, Philppines, to highlight the need for free housing for the urban poor.

Tokyo march for wage equality

About 200 women marched in Tokyo to protest against wage disparities and sexual harassment. According to the Asian Development Bank, women in Asia earn on average 70 per cent less than their male counterparts.