- Thousands of women, and men, rally at Women's Marches across the country
- The Women's March, held in Sydney and Melbourne, protested gender inequality
- They were spearheaded by the #MeToo movement which gained global traction
- Lead Sydney organiser Kate Taylor said gender inequality was 'an ongoing battle'
- 'We're standing on the shoulders of feminists who worked on the issues for years'
- Thousands more showed up for marches in cities across the US and the world
By Kate Darvall and Claudia Poposki and Nicole Pierre For Daily Mail Australia
Published: 00:57 EST, 21 January 2018 | Updated: 00:57 EST, 21 January 2018
Thousands of women, and men, have rallied at Women's Marches across the country to protest against bigotry, misogyny and discrimination.
The grassroots campaigns, held in Sydney and Melbourne on Sunday, were spearheaded by the #MeToo movement which started in the US and gained traction internationally.
Women, as well as men, joined together in solidarity at Sydney's Hyde Park on Sunday to campaign for systemic change.
Co-founder and lead organiser of the Women's March in Sydney, Kate Taylor, said the issue of gender inequality was 'an ongoing battle'.
'My favourite position is CEO… if it bothers you, take a lap,' one woman at the Sydney Women's March wrote on her sign fashioned from a pizza box
Co-founder and lead organiser of the Women's March in Sydney, Kate Taylor (pictured), said the issue of gender inequality was 'an ongoing battle'
'It's something that our mother's mothers have been working on, but we're working to make sure it's something our daughter's daughters won't have to,' she told Daily Mail Australia on Sunday.
'The Women's March is new, we're still young, but we're standing on the shoulders of so many feminists who have worked on these issues for years.'
While the issues women faced were not new, Ms Taylor said the #MeToo movement ignited an international discussion about the treatment of women.
'In the wake of the Me Too movement, and all the different instances of women speaking up together, we want women to know we're here to listen and to stand up with people when they are wanting to talk about the hard issues,' she said.
'We have to listen first before moving on to changing policy and legislation.'
'We are the spark that will light the fire that will burn the patriarchy down,' one woman's sign read
Girl power: The grassroots campaigns, held in Sydney and Melbourne on Sunday, were spearheaded by the #MeToo movement which started in the US and gained traction internationally
'What Oprah said': Women, as well as men, joined together in solidarity at Sydney's Hyde Park on Sunday to campaign for systemic change
Thousands of women rallied in solidarity at the Women's March held in Sydney (pictured)
Ms Taylor said it was often difficult to speak out about feminism due to the overwhelming backlash she faced.
'Any feminist thinks 'if I speak out about this, what sort of threats will I get in my inbox or comments section?' she said.
'But we're happy to have anyone voice their opposition to what we say.'
This year, the Women's March decided to create a chain rather than actually march.
Ms Taylor said the chain represented a 'culture of unity and support'.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of women, and men, showed up for marches in cities across the United States and the rest of the world.
'Resist sexism, resist racism, resist hate, resist Trump,' one woman wrote on her sign in Sydney
'Free the nipple,' one woman wrote across her bare chest at the Sydney Women's March
'Don't 'mansplain' my rights to me,' one woman wrote on her sign at the Sydney rally
Ms Taylor said it was often difficult to speak out about feminism due to the overwhelming backlash she faced (attendees of the Women's March in Sydney pictured)
Brynn Quick, who was present at the first Women's march held in Washington DC last year, spoke in Sydney on Sunday.
'Oh my god I get chills thinking about it, it was incredible,' she told Daily Mail Australia.
‘I was in a bus load of women because I live about 45 minutes out of DC. The bus doors opened and you couldn’t believe how many people there were – it was amazing. It was the most polite I’ve ever seen Americans…It was so nice, it was so calm.
‘It’s awesome that now I live here I can keep doing these types of things and it’s so cool to see people from all across the world.’
'Well behaved women rarely make history,' one woman wrote on her sign on Sunday
This year, the Women's March decided to create a chain rather than actually march
Ms Taylor said the chain represented a 'culture of unity and support' for women in Australia and internationally
Co-founder and lead organiser of the Women's March in Sydney, Kate Taylor, said the issue of gender inequality was 'an ongoing battle'
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