YOUR FAVORITE MTV SHOWS ARE ON PARAMOUNT+

A Day Without A Woman: The MTV Playlist

Inspiring songs for an international day of action

Millions of women across an estimated 35 countries will go on strike this Wednesday, March 8, to show the world what A Day Without a Woman looks like.

On that day, organizers are calling for women everywhere to do as little work as possible — including not only their daily jobs, but also unpaid domestic and emotional labor — and to spend as little as possible, presumably to demonstrate how deeply global capitalism would be affected without the constant participation of women.

Though there are obvious complications inherent to any action that requires people to risk serious punishment in order to participate — one organizer notes that women from “vulnerable communities” or who work in vital positions, such as reproductive health care, are encouraged not to skip out that day — the fundamental message is an important one.

But we’re more than our buying power or our earning potential. A day without a woman is a day without moms and a day without librarians and a day without punk singers or grandmas or ice-cream makers or strippers or movie stars or origami enthusiasts. It’s a day without your friends, it’s a day without the people who make the stuff that inspires you to make the stuff you make — a day without Frida Kahlo, Julia Child, and bell hooks, a day without Beatrix Potter or Remy Ma — and a day without any of the bands and artists on this playlist.

So if you can’t skip work (and many of you probably can’t, because that’s real life) or you can’t wear red in solidarity (because maybe you have to wear a uniform to work or school), then maybe you can put your headphones on, listen to this mix I made you, and see red in solidarity instead.

Celebrate International Women’s Day all week with us at MTVNews.com, and for more on A Day Without A Woman, visit Look Different.

Latest News