Despite bad weather conditions, thousands turned out on the streets of London today to join the Women's March for Gender Equality.
Time's Up
Women today called 'Time's Up' on sexual harassment in the workplace, after 2017 was plagued by a year of sexual misconduct controversies in Hollywood and the corridors of Westminster. One of the most prominent being the Harvey Weinstein scandal which opened the door to the #MeToo movement.
The protest took place in Whitehall, strategically placed near the monument to the Women of World War II. Uplifting speeches were given by women's rights activists including Helen Pankhurst - the great-granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst who was a key player in the Suffragettes movement and helped women gain the right to vote in 1918.
The MP for Walthamstow, Stella Creasy, also gave a speech in which she called Westminster "Hogwarts gone wrong". This comes after a year of sexual misconduct allegations in Westminster including the resignation of high-profile Cabinet minister Sir Michael Fallon. The former Secretary of State for Defence admitted to sexual misconduct towards a party activist in 2001.
March than just about Trump
The march was attended by both men and women, all with varying backgrounds and ages, in order to end the oppression of women. Organisers made it clear that this year's Women's March was more than just about Donald Trump, stating "it's about any person in a position of leadership". Topics ranged from domestic violence, gender pay gap to climate change.
Last year, a record 100,000 joined the march to protest against the election of President Trump. Sarcastic puns and sassy slogans dominated media headlines such as "pussy grabs back". It was reported that 3.2 million turned out to Women's Marches across the world's seven continents in 2017.
This year's slogans included: "keep crude oil in the ground and crude men out of office" and "my little black dress doesn't mean yes".
Others wore pink pussy hats similar to those worn at last year's protest against Trump's presidency. Marches also took place across major American cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Washington D.C.
The centenary
2018 marks the centenary of the Representation of the People Act 1918, which gave women over the age of 30 the right to vote for the first time.
This year no doubt will be celebrated by many as a key step towards gender equality.
Organisers of the Women's March in London urged protesters to "step up, show up and speak up" to end discrimination. However, with recent light shed on a number of sexual assault and harassment scandals, it remains clear there is still much to march about.
