Ana Maria del Verdun Suarez, 27, a police officer, poses for a photograph in the outskirts of Montevideo City, Uruguay, on February 23, 2017. "More women should be able to have jobs that traditionally were considered only for men. I believe that discrimination comes sometimes from all of us, it comes from the inside. There are already many professions that were exclusively male and are now performed by women," Suarez said. #

Tara McCannel, 44, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Ophthalmic Oncology Center at the UCLA Stein Eye Institute of the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), is photographed in Los Angeles, California, on February 27, 2017. "Women are held to a higher standard in knowledge, in abilities, in how the clinical practices go, in appearance," McCannel said."Women just can't be themselves or just think: 'Oh I'm just going to do my work,' and focus on the job. There are these other things that need to be considered because it's not completely equal even though things are getting better." #

Paloma Granero, 38, a skydiving instructor, poses for a photograph inside the wind tunnel at Windobona indoor skydiving in Madrid, Spain, on February 24, 2017. "Men don't have to prove themselves like we do. We are tested every day," Granero said. "The instruction jobs still go mostly to men, whereas the administrative jobs go mostly to women." #

Laila Sterk, 22, a Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) female fighter, in the northeastern Syrian city of Hasaka, Syria, on February 26, 2017. "Before becoming a fighter, I was suffering from inequality in society. But after joining the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), I didn't encounter that anymore," said Sterk. "This is due to the fact that when men want to join the SDF they attend educational courses about women fighting alongside them. Therefore the woman fighter leads the military campaigns just like any man." #

Shinto priest Tomoe Ichino, 40, poses for a photograph at the Imado Shrine in Tokyo, Japan, on February 22, 2017. "In general, people think being a Shinto priest is a man's profession. If you're a woman, they think you're a shrine maiden, or a supplementary priestess. People don't know women Shinto priests exist, so they think we can't perform rituals. Once, after I finished performing jiichinsai (ground-breaking ceremony), I was asked, 'So, when is the priest coming?'," Ichino said. "When I first began working as a Shinto priest, because I was young and female, some people felt the blessing was different. They thought: 'I would have preferred your grandfather.' At first, I wore my grandfather's light green garment because I thought it's better to look like a man. But after a while I decided to be proud of the fact that I am a female priest and I began wearing a pink robe, like today. I thought I can be more confident if I stop thinking too much (about my gender)." #

Elizabeth Mamani, 36, a reporter at Radio Union, poses inside Bolivia's national congress building in La Paz, Bolivia, on February 22, 2017. "When I started in this job, I did feel discrimination (from officials who controlled the access of members of the press to events). To counter discrimination in this profession, we as women, must excel, we must prepare ourselves in every field," Mamani said. #

Pilot Maria Uvarovskaya poses for a photograph in the A320 flight simulator at the Aeroflot training center at Sheremetyevo airport outside Moscow, Russia, on February 20, 2017. "Much more can be done by the women themselves to solve such problems (gender inequality)," said Uvarovskaya. #

Phung Thi Hai, 54, carries bricks at a factory outside Hanoi, Vietnam, on February 27, 2017. Hai is among a group of 25 women working at a brick factory where she has to move 3,000 bricks a day to the kiln. "How unfair that a 54-year-old woman like me has to work and take care of the whole family. With the same work male laborers can get a better income. Not only me, all women in the village work very hard with no education, no insurance and no future," Hai said. #

Yolaina Chavez Talavera, 31, a firefighter, poses for a photograph in front of a truck at a fire station in Managua, Nicaragua, on February 22, 2017. "In my early days as a female firefighter, men, my team mates, thought that I would not last long in the organization due to the hard training. However, in practice I showed them that I am able to take on tasks at the same level as men. I think women must fight to break through in all areas, in the midst of the machismo that still persists in Nicaragua and in Hispanic countries," Talavera said. #

Claudia Concha Parraguez, 45, a pole dancing instructor, poses for a photograph in a gym in Santiago, Chile on February 23, 2017. "Some students with low self-esteem smile more and feel beautiful after training. But because of the poor mentality of their husbands, who do not see this activity as a sport and associate it with something sexual, they stop attending classes," Parraguez said. #

Filipina Grace Ocol, 40, a backhoe operator, poses for a photograph in Tubay, Agusan del Sur, southern Philippines, on February 16, 2017. Ocol, a mother of three, said, "There are a few female workers that can drive big trucks and backhoe. If men can do it, why can't women do it? I'm better than the men, they can only drive trucks here but I can drive both." #

Julia Argunova, 36, a mountaineering instructor, poses at 3,200 meters (10,499 feet) above sea level in the Tien Shan mountains near Almaty, Kazakhstan, on February 17, 2017. "Physical strength benefits male colleagues in some situations on harder routes. But, women are more concentrated and meticulous. In general, women are better at teaching. My main professional task is to teach safe mountaineering." #

Christine Akoth, 38, a metal painter, poses for a photograph in Kenya's capital Nairobi, on February 27, 2017. "I have experienced gender bias at my work where sometimes I'm denied contracts because of who I am and maybe my marital status. Some female colleagues have been treated unfairly because of their sex and even exploited," Akoth said. #

Dr Catherine Reynolds, 37, a scientific researcher at Imperial College, poses for a picture at her laboratory in London, England, on February 22, 2017. "Women are very well represented at junior levels in Biological Sciences research. At a senior level it is still true that there are fewer female professors in science, but the gap is slowly closing," Reynolds said. "More policies that promote flexible working and that support staff in taking career breaks (both men and women) are an essential way in which it is possible for employees, especially those with young families, to realize their full potential in the workplace." #

Ivana, 32, a community manager, smiles in her home where she works in Belgrade, Serbia, on February 21, 2017. "Mainly you can see these (gender) gaps in state companies, which are relics of socialism. It is that standard belief where women are 'the best' at being secretaries," Ivana said. #

Samah Abdelaty, 38, a writer and chief of the investigations department at Al Watan Newspaper, poses for a photograph at the headquarters of the newspaper in Cairo, Egypt, on February 26, 2017. "On the issue of gender equality in my field I do not remember any discrimination against me working in the field of journalism," Abdelaty said. #

Merylee, 26, a soldier, poses for a photograph in Nice, France, on February 23, 2017. "The parity in the army already exists, it is the uniform that takes precedence over gender," Merylee said. #

Jeung Un, 27, a freelance photographer, poses for a portrait at a site which protesters have occupied, in central Seoul, South Korea, on February 23, 2017. "Most news outlets prefer to employ male photographers. I feel strongly about gender inequality. When I cover violent scenes, sometimes I am harassed and hear sexually-biased remarks," Un said. #

Lejla Selimovic, 34, a furniture restorer, poses for a photograph at her workshop Wood Surgery in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on February 24, 2017. "In my country this is an unusual profession for a woman, but so far I have not met anyone seeing it in a negative context. People are often surprised, but essentially only interested in a job well done," she said. #

Ivonne Quintero, a chef, poses for a photograph at a restaurant in Mexico City, Mexico, on February 26, 2017. "There are many limitations in the kitchen for being female. I had two men under my charge and they did not do what I asked them to do in the kitchen because I was a woman," said Quintero. #

Sarah Hunter, 31, England women's rugby captain and RFU University Rugby Development Officer for the South West, at The Stoop rugby ground in West London, Britain, on February 25, 2017. "I think that if we're the right person for the right job in the workplace then so be it and the same for men," Hunter said. "I've worked for the RFU, and being what is deemed as a male sport perhaps in the past, I was welcomed into that environment and I personally haven't experienced gender inequality in the workplace, so I think that I've been very fortunate in the career that I've had and in the jobs that I've had that I've been seen for the person that I am and not for the gender that I am." #

Lina Maria da Silva, 62, a babysitter, poses for a photograph with the children she takes care of at her home in the Cantagalo slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on February 24, 2017. "I've never suffered mistreatment at work. I have always felt a lot of affection from the families I have worked with," Silva said. #

Rocio Larranaga, 53, a surfer and surf instructor, poses for a photograph at Redondo beach in Lima, Peru, on February 23, 2017. "I am the first woman to represent my country in national and international competitions since 1977," said Larranaga. "In 1995 I became a surf teacher. Lots of women surf and they are very good at it. I hope that in the future women have the same quota as men in professional competitions." #

Serpil Cigdem, 44, an engine driver, poses for a photograph at Yenikapi station in Istanbul, Turkey, on February 24, 2017. "When I applied for a job 23 years ago as an engine driver, I was told that it is a profession for men. I knew that during the written examination even if I got the same results with a male candidate, he would have been chosen. That's why I worked hard to pass the exam with a very good result ahead of the male candidates. In my opinion, gender inequality starts in our minds saying it's a male profession or it's a man's job," said Cigdem. #

Emilie Jeannin, 37, a cow breeder, with her Charolais cows in Beurizot, France, on February 21, 2017. "Once I could not help laughing when an agricultural advisor asked me, where the boss was, when I was standing right in front of him. I can assure you that the meeting got very quickly cut short!," Jeannin said. "Being a breeder is seen as a man's job. In the past women were usually doing the administrative work or low level tasks. People need to be more open minded. This change needs to happen everywhere not just on the fields." #

Mehwish Ekhlaque, 26, a bike rider and trainer, with her bike in Karachi, Pakistan, on February 28, 2017. "When I planned a Pakistan Bike Tour many of my male colleagues gave me a piece of advice not to do it as it's neither safe nor easy for a woman. But I did it," Ekhlaque said. #

Liz Azoulay, 26, who loads and unloads cargo at Ashdod port, southern Israel, on February 22, 2017. "In most of my professional life I did not face any inequality. In the port of Ashdod we are equal on the docks. I am the first woman who began working at the Ashdod port as a stevedore." #

Khawla Sheikh, 54, a plumber and a certified trainer, in her home's basement, where she gives plumbing training courses to other women, in Amman, Jordan, on February 23, 2017. "Housewives are more comfortable to have a woman plumber in their house in the absence of their husbands," said Sheikh. "To tackle gender inequality, I think that all operating sectors must provide equal opportunities for men and women in all fields and each woman must believe in her capabilities and skills that she has in order to convince the others." #

Chrifa Nimri, 69, a fisherwoman, arranges a net after returning from fishing at the seaport Sidi Bou Said, in Tunis, Tunisia, on February 23, 2017. "At the beginning of my fishing career all the world told me that the trade was for men but now all my colleagues respect and call me captain," Chrifa said. #

Cilene Connolly, 32, a Royal Mail postwoman, poses for a portrait during her postal round on a residential street in Coventry, England, on February 24, 2017. "Fortunately, I haven't been faced with gender inequalities in my role as a postwoman," Connolly said. "I've had a great response from my customers for being a female delivering their post, women in particular are always pleasantly surprised to see a female face." #

Cristina Alvarez, 29, a butcher, outside her and her husband's butcher shop, in Mexico City, Mexico on February 25, 2017. "I've never felt any gender inequality," Alvarez said. "I believe women can do the same jobs as men and that there should be no discrimination." #

Jauna Diaz, 43, a street sweeper, works on the street in Mexico City, Mexico, on February 26, 2017. "In my previous job my boss gave preference to male colleagues and women always were paid later. That's why I changed jobs," Diaz said. "To tackle gender inequality I think there needs to be more communication and information about women's rights in the work place." #

Yuniko Chung, 24, a video game broadcaster, in her office in Taipei, Taiwan, on February 24, 2017. "I always hear people say that they never watch female gaming broadcasters as they rely only on their appearance rather than skills. I am not that type of broadcaster. I can play along with men. I am not using my face and my gender as advantage," said Chung. #

Ekaterine Kvlividze, 30, a military pilot captain, in front of a Georgian Air Force UH-1H helicopter in Tbilisi, Georgia, on February 22, 2017. Kvlividze joined the Georgian Air Forces in 2007. "There were some difficulties at the beginning, I felt some irony, cynicism. I felt they did not appreciate me. But, thank God, during the last 10 years society has changed and nowadays a woman pilot is a normal thing." #

Swiss President and Minister of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications, Doris Leuthard, 54, on top of a roof next the Swiss Parliament in Bern, Switzerland, on February 24, 2017. Leuthard said she still sees gender inequality occur in the workplace. "Salaries. The differences between wages of men and women can be up to 20 percent. It happens to many women. Transparency helps, discussions about salaries are important. In upper management and leading positions in politics we still seem to be the minority. I encourage women to work on their career." #