Women’s March on Washington Plans General Strike

On January 21, 2017, millions of people came together to support the Women’s March on Washington. Protests did not only take place in Washington D.C., but also throughout the world. Millions of people participated to support the cause. The protest was organized in part to make a statement against newly elected President Donald Trump, who was inaugurated the day before the protest. However, the Women’s March on Washington was not orchestrated solely to speak out against Trump. The participants’ goal was to call attention to a need for change in several social aspects. The organizers released a policy platform containing their beliefs concerning several of these things. Some things that they believe needs to be addressed include reproductive rights and an end to police brutality.

As the document states, “We believe that Women’s Rights are Human Rights and Human Rights are Women’s Rights. This is the basic and original tenet from which all our values stem.”

Now, organizers of the March are planning the next way they will take a stand for their beliefs. This time, members are calling for a general strike in which women will be absent for a day from the work force. Although a date has not been announced yet, organizers are starting to promote the idea through social media platforms, such as Twitter. This next phase is only one of the ways protesters hope to get their message across to the public. Currently, members are planning on performing ten different actions within the first 100 days of Trumps Presidency to further promote their cause.

Freshman Megan Hughes said, “I think that it is great that women in the United States and across the world are joining together to stand up for something that they truly believe in.”

The will of the people will stand. pic.twitter.com/SKJCRLhRKn

— Women's March (@womensmarch) February 6, 2017

Strikes, a tactic that became popular during the Industrial Revolution, involve a refusal of workers to perform their jobs in order to make a statement. One as large as the women’s strike has the potential to cause wide-scale disruptions. For example, the strike could slow down different types of businesses and their production.

However, these types of large scale strikes have also been proven to be an effective way to advocate for a group’s beliefs. For example, worldwide women’s strikes have been occurring in other countries, such as Poland and Ireland. Both the protests in Poland and Ireland revolved around the ban of abortion, which has been officially banned in Ireland and could potentially be completely banned from Poland. Similar to these large protests, the women’s general strike would be held to advocate for women’s reproductive rights as well as an awareness of violence against women.

Sophomore Maria Almendares said, “I think that the idea of a general strike is great. I think it is awesome to see women coming together to stand up for their human rights, and people in general advocating for what they believe in. It shows our civil responsibility.”

@KellyannePolls More people attend the Women's March the week before-Pro-Choice. Government has no business in women's reproductive rights.

— Frances Johnson (@chippette52) January 28, 2017

Even though a date for the strike has not yet been released, a large group of people are already starting to commit to participating in the event. 

Update: The “A Day Without A Woman” General Strike will be held on March 8, 2017.