Santa Clara County Officials To Women: Take Wednesday Off

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA -- Santa Clara County officials dressed in red Tuesday morning called on women and their allies to take Wednesday, March 8 off from work part of a national strike called A Day Without a Woman to coincide with International Women's Day.

The strike, which was planned by Women's March on Washington organizers, is intended to highlight women's economic power and call attention to injustices including unequal pay, sexual harassment and
inadequate family leave.

"We want to show women that we stand with them," Supervisor Cindy Chavez said, encouraging those who can't take the day off to wear red and abstain from shopping, other than at small businesses owned by women and minority entrepreneurs.

Chavez called on men to use the day to push for adequate family leave and equal pay for women from decision-makers in the workplace and the government.

Women-owned businesses account for $3 billion nationwide, county Office of Women's Policy director Esther Peralez-Dieckmann said.

"It's not only the right thing to do. It's actually sound business practice to look at advancement of women and girls," Peralez-Dieckmann said.

Chavez said the Board of Supervisors is working on putting forth an initiative around intimate partner violence and strengthening ordinances on wage theft. The county also established a Human Trafficking Commission in 2014.

More than 1,300 Facebook users have expressed interest in the Day Without a Woman rally, which will be held at noon Wednesday outside of San Jose City Hall.

Bay City News contributed to this report/Image via Shutterstock