March 8th is International Women’s Day. It is also a day that is going to experience a massive women’s strike to raise awareness for equality issues that still exist today, such as receiving lower wages than men, discrimination based on gender, and overall unsafe work environments that go unchecked.
This comes in the wake of one of the most successful women’s marches that took place on January 21st all across our nation as President Donald Trump took his official oath of office.
However, not everyone can afford to take off work. Whether it’s financial constraints or a lack of last minute personal days, there are still things you can do to support the women’s strike. Here are some things you can do to raise awareness, and all without having to take the day off.
1. Participate in an International Women’s Day event near you. Many communities are setting up things such as local marches after work hours, listening sessions, and open community talks throughout the day. Find one near you and get involved.
2. Wear red. The organizers chose this as the color of support because it signifies sacrifice and revolutionary love.
3. Take your lunch or dinner that day at a woman or minority-run eating establishment. Organizers are spreading the word to cease shopping on March 8th altogether, unless it is in a shop that is run by a woman or a minority. Show your support and get yourself some amazing food in the process.
4. Watch movies and shows on your streaming account directed by women. Show your support for women in the arts and film by watching some of their work. Take to the internet and write a review. Direct your friends to them. Support them by taking in their work.
5. Take to your social media accounts and follow women in various fields: science, art, film, and writers… The list goes on. Follow them on Facebook. Find them on Twitter. Add them to your Instagram. Your timeline will thank you, and it will show your support for them in the process.
6. Buy a box of Girl Scout cookies. No, seriously. Cookies. There is finally a legitimate reason for cookies (as if you needed one). The Girl Scouts has raised generations of risk-taking young girls that learn new skills and experience life-changing experiences. Buying these cookies funds those beautiful adventures and it shows your support for them in your community. Oh, and did we mention cookies?
7. Find a way to inspire the next generation of women. It’s never too early to teach young girls the idea of dreaming to be whatever they want. Buy a young girl a book with an inspirational message, or talk with her about all of the things she could do when she grows up. It’s never too young to start them on the path to dreaming.
8. Donate packages of pads and tampons to shelters. There are many women across this planet that constantly have to choose between staying hygienic during their menstrual cycle and having their next meal. No woman should ever have to make that choice. Support them by providing them with a necessity.
9. Share your support or reasons why you’d like to strike by using the hashtags #DayWithoutAWoman and #IStrikeFor. Social media is a powerful platform to share your voice when you can’t express it physically in the streets. Let social media be your street for the day.
10. Be in the corner of your female co-workers. Keep a running list of back-up child care providers. Give them credit where it’s due in the workplace. Work with them to push back against sexist dress codes. Be a voice alongside theirs in their everyday places.
These are just a few of the ways that you can support the women’s strike, and women in general, on March 8th. I promise you, women understand having to work. What women don’t understand are the voices that stay silent as inequality continues to rage across this country.
Be their allies by raising your voice with theirs.
For more suggestions on how to support them, visit this article by UpWorthy.
Featured image courtesy of Pixabay/Public Domain.
