Thousands protest on International Women's Day at Colorado State Capitol

At the Colorado State Capitol on Saturday, thousands gathered to protest for International Women's Day. The day commemorates the fight for equality and the women's rights movement.

Demonstrations took place across the world Saturday to call for equal pay, reproductive rights, equal access to education, justice and more. This year's theme was "Accelerate Action."

International Women's Day has a long history. The first National Women's Day was held in the United States in 1909. The following year a leader of the "Women's Office" for the Social Democratic Party of Germany proposed the idea of International Women's Day, which the International Conference of Working Women unanimously approved.

CBS Colorado's crew ran into a group of women who said they'd been meeting up at these protests since 1972.

"Well, I'm glad I'm here, and all these wonderful people, but it's like how long does this have to go on?" said one protester.

The women said it's heartwarming that people are still turning out for these events and hope those in power will take notice and listen.

Protesters at the state capitol carried signs addressing women's freedoms, reproductive rights and gender-affirming care, with slogans including "My car has more rights than my sisters," "Women's rights are human rights" and "Politician-approved gender-care: Viagra + boob jobs." 

They also protested the Trump Administration's crackdown on illegal immigration and billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency.

Since the founding of International Women's Day, women's rights and representation have continued to grow. But, according to U.N. data, one in four countries reported a backlash against women's rights last year.

The Pew Research Center shared some of the many gains, and gaps, for women in the United States.

• Women made up 47% of the U.S. civilian labor force in 2023, up from 30% in 1950 – but growth has stagnated.
• Women outnumber men in the U.S. college-educated workforce, now making up 51% of those ages 25 and older.
• About a third of workers in the country's 10 highest-paying occupations (35%) are women – up from 13% in 1980.
• The share of women in opposite-sex marriages who earn as much as or more than their husband has roughly tripled over the past 50 years.
• The gender pay gap – the difference between the median earnings of men and women – has remained relatively flat in the United States over the past two decades.
• Women still lag in top leadership positions in business and government.
• Slim majorities of Americans say there are too few women in top political offices and executive business positions.
• The public is divided over whether being a woman makes it more difficult to get ahead.