Mexican women stayed away from offices, schools and government agencies on Monday to join a second day of marches to protest against violence and macho culture, as an eerie quiet fell on normally bustling streets and factories.
Lauren Anthony reports.
There were empty chairs in workplaces across Mexico on Monday (March 9), where female employees would usually be sat.
Instead, millions of women decided to join a second day of marches - protesting against violence, femicide and 'macho' culture.
The strikes, dubbed "a day without us", were sparked to show what life would be like if women vanished from society, organized off the back of a series of massive protests on Sunday to mark International Women's Day.
In one factory, rows of tables and desks were unoccupied.
Its manager said the company was proud to support its female workforce.
Adding that without it, it couldn't function.
(SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) manager at NPD Technology, LUISA CARRILLO, SAYING: ".... A day without all the female staff represents a lot for the company.
I don't even want to think if this went on for a prolonged period of time or that this female staff was not available.
" Mexico's work stoppages drew indigenous Zapatista women in the south and numerous office workers in the capital, and its once traffic-choked streets were virtually empty at rush hour on Monday (March 9).
Public transport was mostly devoid of women, and many schools were closed early.
The protests are focussed on a surge in gender-motivated killings of women.
Dolls were laid out to represent the female victims. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ACTIVIST OF WOMEN'S RIGHTS, CARMEN GARCIA, SAYING: "Each doll is a woman, we bring them here so that the government can see what is happening and take each of them into account, because they belong to a family." Such killings have risen by 137% in the past five years, according to government statistics.
Gang violence has pushed the murder tally to record heights.
Most violent crime in Mexico goes unsolved.