The President of Madrid, Isabel Diaz Ayuso, has chosen today, International Women´s Day to announce her belief that there should be an International Men´s Day, which also coincides with a survey indicating that 53% of the population feel there is now discrimination against men and that «feminism» has gone too far.
However, in Spain 54% of the population declare themselves to be feminists, nine points higher than five years ago.
Discussions about equality in families and between friends form part of the daily conversations of 35% of the population compared to 18% in 2018.
Four in every 10 people confirm they have observed sexist commentaries in their family or among their friends and 15% have witnessed cases of discrimination in the workplace.
Some 41% of the Spanish populatyion has seen worse treatment of women at work and 39% has perceived worse treatement of women on social media, which puts Spain amongst the countries with a higher awareness of gender inequality.
Spain demonstrates feminist sensibility and public opinion reflects the highest levels of support for the fight against discrimination on the basis of gender.
Some 72% of citizens consider there has not been sufficient progress in the equality of rights between men and women.
Some 53% believe «we have reached a point in the promotion of equality which means men are discriminated against.
The conviction that gender equality is «discriminating against men» puts Spain 15 points above the EU average of below 40%.
This opinion is shared by 44% of Spanish women and 61% of Spanish men.
(These statistics are from a study by King’s College London and The Global Institute for Women’s Leadership caried out in 32 countries).
The most important implication of these statistics is that the equality issue is «on the agenda» in homes and amongst friends in Spain, hardly surprising as the Socialist coalition government in Spain has taken some major strides forward on women´s rights not the least of which is the new law on secual offences » Only Yes Means Yes.» This law recently led to the conviction and prison sentence for a famous footballer who considered the fact that a girl who willingly entered the toilet with him meant he could rape and humilate her without her consent.
There is progress, however, there is a long way to go. Women in Spain still risk being thrown out of work because they are pregnant and on average earn 5,000 euros less year for the same work as their male counterparts. The list of inequalities is endless and it will take years to put right.
The fact that some men currently feel they are being discriminated against is not negative, it is a sign of progress! However, men don´t need an International Mens Day¨….every day has been a Mens day for centuries.
Photo from Caucus News, Nottingham University
