“Only the most intrepid urban explorers cross the tattered ruins of the old Iron Curtain to endure the excessive bureaucracy, military paranoia and freezing winds of the East to hunt for the ghosts of an empire. Rebecca Litchfield is one who couldn't resist the haunting allure of the ruins of the Soviet Union”. – Yahoo News. Photo: Hungary, MAV 424 Steam Train. (Photo by Rebecca Bathory)

Wednesday March 8 marks International Women's Day, with festivals, concerts and exhibitions among the numerous events planned around the world to celebrate the achievements of women in society. The annual event has been held since the early 1900s and traditionally promotes a different theme each year, with this year's edition calling on people to #BeBoldForChange and push for a more gender-inclusive working world. Reuters photographers have been speaking with women in a range of professions around the world about their experiences of gender inequality. Here: Yolaina Chavez Talavera, 31, a firefighter, poses for a photograph in front of a truck at a fire station in Managua, Nicaragua, February 22, 2017. (Photo by Oswaldo Rivas/Reuters)

Russian model Irina Shayk encourages fans to find their own unicorn in the second decade of April 2022. (Photo by irinashayk/Instagram)

Karen Chen, of the United States, competes in the women's team free skate program during the figure skating competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, February 7, 2022, in Beijing. (Photo by Jeff Roberson/AP Photo)

Indonesian students wearing paper masks take part in the East Java Mask Parade in Surabaya, Indonesia, 13 December 2015. Thousands of people participate in the traditional parade to preserve the mask custom among the younger generation. (Photo by Fully Handoko/EPA)

English lingerie and catwalk model Abbey Clancy, the mum-of-four showed off her incredible toned tum on a modelling shoot in London, United Kingdom on November 8, 2021. (Photo by Backgrid USA)

Anton Unitsyn, Russia. Shortlist, Professional , Daily Life. Parkour jumpers on their daily training. On the background – one of the main Solvychegodsk sights – Blagoveshchensky Cathedral. This church is among 3 churches, that survived soviet times. At the begining of 20th century there were 13 churches in Solvichegodsk. After breakdown of the communism, Solvichegodsk as many small towns in russia is stuck in it's past. Despite everything, people in Solvichegodsk still belive in their positive future, and wait for wind of change. (Photo by Anton Unitsyn/Sony World Photography Awards)