The number of participating groups reached 5,300. The work of the march has been totally grassroots, with no sponsorship or sanction from governments. As a result, this is the first time in history that women have been organized and connected into a network of this scale. The demands of the march go to the heart of greedy neo-liberal economics that exploit labor and resources worldwide at the expense of women most of all. The demands also challenge patriarchy by demanding redress of women's lack of political representation and access to wealth.
Many groups intend to use the network that has been created through the march to further their work.
In 1995, women were only 10 percent of legislators worldwide. In 2000, women account for only 12.7 percent of national parliaments. At the current pace, it would take 75 years before women are equally represented. Women must hold half of the seats of power sooner than that. The networking was also interpersonal, and allowed us to see the ability of women to communicate with and support each other beyond borders.