Spain plans gender parity law

PM hails move as step forward for society, equality

Spain's government has announced a gender equality law that sets quotas for a fairer representation of women in politics, business, and other domains of public life.

The proposal was given Cabinet approval ahead of International Women's Day on Wednesday, and the legislation now goes to Parliament for debate.

Publicly listed companies would have until mid-2024 to ensure women make up at least 40 percent of their decision-making bodies, while large public and private companies with more than 250 employees would have from 2026 to implement the quota.

The law would necessitate political parties to field the same number of male and female candidates during elections, and parties that lead central government would need to appoint a Cabinet that included at least 40 percent of each gender.

The requirements would also apply to professional associations and juries for any awards financed with public money.

A government statement said the new draft bill, titled Equal Representation of Women and Men in Decision-Making Bodies, will allow Spain to move from "recommendations" to "establishing obligations "on gender equality.

"This is useful policy that changes people's lives," Deputy Prime Minister Nadia Calvino said on Tuesday. "It's clear that we've come a long way… but there is still a lot to do."

In a news briefing, she noted that Spain is one of the world's "most advanced" countries in terms of gender equality. "Social advances are achieved with laws", she added.

Non-compliance with the new gender parity norm would be considered a serious offense, with penalties for those that refuse to follow it, reported the Euractiv news website.

The policy would match objectives set by the European Union in June that require all member states pass laws to ensure that at least 40 percent of non-executive director positions at listed companies are held by "members of the under-represented sex" by 2026.

Euronews noted that in 2017, Spain's Parliament included more female representatives than any other legislature in Europe, with 47 percent of the house being women, although the figure has since dropped to 42 percent.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said his government was "not only taking a step in favor of feminism, but in favor of Spanish society as a whole". Sanchez said his government is determined to improve opportunities for women.

"If women are half of society, they should be half of the political and economic power. Some may see this as excessive, but those of us who believe in feminism see it as simply fair," he said.

Fedepe, the Spanish federation that represents female executives, professionals and entrepreneurs, gave a cautious response to the announcement. "All too often we're seeing what we call 'equality washing' — actions that are more cosmetic than real," said a statement from Ana Bujaldon, the group's president. "So let's see how this turns out."