The organiser, Grève féministe (Feminist Strike), estimated that 250,000 people had taken to the streets across France at some 150 demonstrations, with 120,000 people in Paris alone.
But police put turnout in the capital at less than half of that, at 47,000 people.
Some demonstrators took aim at US President Donald Trump including women from the Femen activist group. They marched topless with either the US or the Russian national flag, marked with a swastika, painted on their chests.
Dozens of women have alleged the Republican sexually abused them, and his administration has been accused of pushing through anti-women policies.
“This is a battle, it’s not over,” said 49-year-old Sabine, who was marching with her seven-year-old son.
“We’re going in the right direction: Trump, the masculinists, they make lots of noise but they’re not as strong as we are,” she told AFP.
In the evening, the Eiffel Tower was lit up with a message of solidarity with Afghan women, whose freedoms have been curtailed since the Taliban returned to power. The message: “SOS Afghan Women,” was displayed in French, English, Farsi and Arabic.
Salary grievances remained top of the agenda for many of the marchers. The average women’s salary in France is around 14 percent lower than a man’s for the same amount of time worked, according to the national statistics institute Insee.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
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