Women’s Day participation much lighter than anti-Trump protests

A planned strike and demonstrations on International Women’s Day drew a fraction of the crowd seen at women-led protests the day after President Donald Trump’s inauguration. The organizers of January’s anti-Trump marches dubbed today “A Day Without a Woman” and called on women to skip work and demand equal rights today. A few school districts in Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina closed in anticipation of short-staffing. About 1,000 people protested outside Trump Tower in Manhattan, while downtown a financial company erected a statue of a girl staring down the bronze bull on Wall Street. The investment firm State Street commissioned the statue and received a permit to display it for at least a week. The artwork is supposed to call attention to the dearth of women in leadership positions in large companies.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.