Female employees in Spain marked the much celebrated International Women's Day with an unprecedented strike targeting gender inequality and sexual discrimination. Source; BBC News
Over five million women had joined the 24-hour strike, backed by 10 Spanish unions and some of Spain's top women politicians.
Hundreds of thousands of women have joined street protests across Spain, shouting "if we stop, the world stops".
Events marking the day are being held in dozens of other nations.
Women taking part have stopped working and have been urged by organizers to spend no money and ditch any domestic chores for the day.
Police were called to stop protesters blocking main roads in Barcelona but some women pickets still brought areas to a standstill.
Public transport nationwide is available but at reduced services and flights have also been affected.
Evening marches in Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Valencia and a number of other cities are leading events in 200 Spanish locations.
"I lived under the dictatorship, I lived under democracy and we haven't made much headway," teacher Concha Noverges told Reuters news agency as she stood on a picket line at a public school in Madrid. "A lot remains to be done and we, in the education sector, have a big role to play."
Ana Reyes, a 37-year-old PR executive, told AFP news agency she was striking "in the hope that the importance of half of the population will be recognised and that it will bring about a real change".
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