RantCrush Top 5: March 8, 2017

Since today is International Women’s Day, many women are planning a strike. There will be demonstrations and rallies across the country, and the organizers behind the Women’s March are calling on women everywhere to take the day off from work, avoid shopping for a day, and wear red. This is to recognize “the enormous value that women of all backgrounds add to our socio-economic system–while receiving lower wages and experiencing greater inequities, vulnerability to discrimination, sexual harassment, and job insecurity,” a statement on the group’s website says.

A Day Without a Woman is tmrw! To join:

1) Take the day off
2) Avoid shopping – unless at women & minority-owned businesses
3) Wear RED 💃🏽 pic.twitter.com/nqzLd7RwJ2

— AJ+ (@ajplus) March 7, 2017

Several schools are closed for the day since many teachers are planning to stay at home and women make up 76 percent of America’s public school teachers. The average American woman currently makes 79 cents for every dollar a man makes, but minority women make even less. Women make up 47 percent of the U.S. workforce, which means if every woman stayed home from work today, it would cost the country almost $21 billion, according to the Center for American Progress. That’s something to think about!

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.