International Women’s Day 2018: Incredible images as world demands gender equality

International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.

The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity and calling out those guilty of sexual discrimination.

March 8 was suggested by the 1910 International Socialist Woman’s Conference to become an “International Woman’s Day”.

After women gained suffrage in Soviet Russia in 1917, the day became a national holiday and was celebrated each year by socialist and communist countries before it was adopted by the United Nations in 1975.

“The story of women’s struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organisation but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights,” says world-renowned feminist and journalist Gloria Steinem.

Spain celebrated International Women’s Day today with an unprecedented general strike in defence of their rights that saw hundreds of trains cancelled and countless protests scheduled throughout the day.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visited Birmingham to learn more about the work of two projects which support young people from the local community. The event at Millennium Point aims to inspire the next generation of young women to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.

International Women’s Day has been celebrated for over a century, continuing to grow from strength to strength.

Click through the gallery to see some of the inspiring and thought-provoking International Women’s Day pictures.