FEM-ABLE
Spain
Good practices on women political participation
RedLatinas – Red de Mujeres
Latinoamericanas y del Caribe
Latinoamericanas y del Caribe
Governmental Equality Plans
RedLatinas – Red de Mujeres
Latinoamericanas y del Caribe
Latinoamericanas y del Caribe
- Objective
- Target group
- Implementation
- Results/Impact
- Lessons learned
- Transferability
- Resources/Support
- Contact information
- To create a meeting place for immigrant women of Latin American and Caribbean origin to get to know each other, dialogue, and exchange experiences.
- To strengthen and make visible the leadership and advocacy capacities of the participating women’s organisations.
- To reach a consensus and establish a work agenda among the participating organisations as a basis for coordinated work and networking.
The RedLatinas organisation addresses migrant Latin American and Caribbean women as a support and participation network, and their actions target government bodies, public and private entities, in the national scenario and abroad.
The RedLatinas organisation was founded in 2010 by a group of migrant women from Latin America and the Caribbean. Today, it brings together 13 associations and collectives of migrant women. Since its inception, the organisation has focused on creating a shared space with the aim of influencing the sociopolitical landscape.
To this end, they have developed their own political agenda, which communicates their message and actions centred around the following key issues:
- Right to Health
- Right to Migrate
- Right to Decent Work
- Sexual and Reproductive Health
- Right to a Dignified Life
- Gender Violence against Women
- Migrant Women
Another significant aspect of the organisation is its political school, established in 2014. Through its activities and materials, the school seeks to strengthen the organisation and build political arguments for social transformation. The school’s focus aligns with the key issues outlined in their political agenda, and it operates on several cross-cutting axis:
- Protagonist Subjects
- Human Rights Approach for Women and Diversities
- Pedagogical-Political-Reflective Approach
- Local-Global Approach
- Co-responsibility
- Social Skills
Employing an experiential, participatory, reflective, and transformative methodology, the school conducts various activities annually, creating a space for education and knowledge sharing.
The latest report from their political school, which reflects on their 2021 activities, discusses various workshops they conducted. These workshops focused on Spanish, European, and international political and legal instruments, the presentation of the study “Women in Motion Facing Gaps in Access to Rights,” a workshop on sexual and reproductive rights, and an international webinar in collaboration with European organisations to address stories of migrant women’s resistance in Europe.
Additionally, they also hold political forums, assemblies, and other meetings with like-minded entities to analyse, debate, and reflect on the role of migrant women as political subjects.
In March 2023, they made a collective statement on gender-based violence, proposing public policy recommendations to combat it. The statement included 22 proposals in total and was supported by 37 organisations.
The latest impact data from their activities come from the 2021 annual report of the “Giulia Tamayo” Political School. That year, a total of 200 people registered for the workshops offered by RedLatinas, with a participation rate of 78% of the registered individuals attending at least one workshop.
The majority of those registered were members of associations affiliated with RedLatinas, in addition to 18 activists from other associations and 11 independent women. Attendees represented a broad range of regions, highlighting the international nature of the organisation’s activities. Participants were registered from Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, and France.
Participants were sent a satisfaction questionnaire. It was noted that 73% rated the methodology used as “very good,” while the remaining 27% rated it as “good.” Regarding the Political School, 80% reported a “very high” level of satisfaction, while 12% said “high,” and 7% said “good.”
The overall evaluation was generally positive regarding the Political School’s training and facilitators, emphasising the high level of knowledge of the topics, methodology, and clarity. Conversely, it was suggested that some sessions should be held in person.
It is also important to highlight other cases that exemplify the significance of RedLatinas. On one hand, it inspired the creation of the African Women Leaders in Action Network, an association whose founders were in constant contact with women members of RedLatinas. On the other hand, the Women’s Institute funded a report prepared by RedLatinas on “Good Practices on Sexual and Reproductive Rights of Migrant Women.”
According to the work and message of RedLatinas, migrant women face severe discrimination, violence, injustices, and obstacles in various aspects of life. In order to delve deeper through actions and for these actions to have a greater impact, it is necessary to collectively address political representatives directly. This allows for the proposal, representation, and presentation of the products derived from the spaces for analysis, reflection, and sharing created by the network.
The RedLatinas model is highly transferable to other regions and contexts, as it addresses the common challenges faced by migrant women worldwide. The organisation’s focus on creating a shared space for dialogue, capacity-building, and networking among migrant women and their organisations is applicable to different cultural and geographical contexts. Furthermore, the political school’s focus on key issues, cross-cutting axis, and its experiential, participatory, and reflective methodology can be adapted to suit the specific needs and priorities of other migrant women’s communities. To ensure the successful transfer of the RedLatinas model, it is crucial to engage with local stakeholders and to promote collaboration between migrant women’s organisations and political representatives.
The success of the RedLatinas model relies heavily on the collaboration between various stakeholders, including migrant women’s organisations, political representatives, and funding bodies. The availability of resources, such as financial support, skilled facilitators, and appropriate spaces for conducting workshops and meetings, is essential for the effective implementation of the model. Additionally, the support of local and national government bodies, private entities, and international partners plays a significant role in promoting the model’s objectives and increasing its impact. To replicate the RedLatinas model in other contexts, it is important to identify and secure funding sources and establish partnerships with relevant stakeholders who share the organization’s goals and values.
More information can be found at the following links:
- Web link: https://redlatinas.es/
- Social networks for RedLatinas (links in their web)
- Politic School Report
- Good practices report on sexual and reproductive rights of migrant women
Governmental Equality Plans
- Objective
- Target group
- Implementation
- Results/Impact
- Lessons learned
- Transferability
- Resources/ Support
- Contact information
The objective of the Spanish Equality Plans is to eliminate gender discrimination and promote equal opportunities for women in various areas, including the legal system, family and social protection, education and culture, employment and labour relations, health and political, social and cultural participation of women at all levels.
The Equality Plans have a nation-wide scope, and as such, target all populations at all territorial levels.
The Spanish Government has implemented several Equality Plans to eliminate gender discrimination and promote equal opportunities for women. The first four plans (1988-1990, 1993-1995, 1997-2000, and 2003-2006) focused on various areas, including the legal system, family and social protection, education and culture, employment and labour relations, health, international cooperation, and associationism. The introduction of the Organic Law for Effective Equality between Women and Men in 2007 marked a turning point in Spanish equality policies. The law aims to combat all forms of discrimination and applies to all individuals and entities within Spanish territory. The law also introduced Strategic Plans for Equality, with the first plan covering 2008-2011 and focusing on redefining citizenship, empowering women, gender mainstreaming, and promoting scientific and technological innovation. The second plan (2014-2016) had a dual strategy of implementing specific policies for gender equality while also introducing structural changes to combat discrimination. The latest plan, the III Strategic Plan for Effective Equality between Women and Men (2022-2025), is an inclusive agenda that aims to align different sectoral plans with the plan’s strategic objectives to advance gender equality. The plan is structured into four blocks: contextual analysis, four main intervention areas (Good Governance, Economy for Life, Violence-Free Lives, and Effective Rights), cross-cutting issues, and implementation and monitoring mechanisms.
The latest data regarding results and impact of the Equality Plans is based on the “Final report of execution and evaluation of the strategic plan of equality of opportunities 2014-2016 (PEIO)”, which gave the base information for the development of the III Strategic Plan for Effective Equality between Women and Men (2022-2025), currently in place. The evaluation report for the 2014-2016 strategic plan provided information regarding positive effectiveness and impact in all areas of implementation. Concretely, between 2013 and 2015, Spanish women’s participation in political, economic, and social spheres saw significant growth. The proportion of elected positions held by women in Congress and the Senate increased during this period, while women’s presence on IBEX-35 company boards and management bodies also rose. Despite a slight decline in 2016, the percentage of women in judicial positions remained high, with women occupying prominent roles in public prosecution and the administration of justice. Women’s representation in constitutional bodies also grew, although the Court of Auditors saw a minor decrease.
An important impact of the implementation of the PEIO 2014-2016, was the achievement of several specific sectorial or thematic plans. These include the II Plan for Gender Equality in the Information Society (2014-2017), aimed at increasing women’s participation in the ICT sector; the Plan for the Promotion of Women in Rural Areas (2015-2018), focusing on employment, entrepreneurship, and women’s decision-making roles; the Gender Equality Plan for the Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector (2015-2020), addressing gender gaps in access, employment conditions, and leadership; the Comprehensive Family Support Plan (2015-2017), focusing on work-life balance and shared responsibilities; and the II Plan for Gender Equality in the General State Administration, targeting professional inequalities, work-life balance, and support for vulnerable workers. Additionally, other sectoral and thematic plans integrated a gender perspective and implemented measures to reduce gender gaps, such as the State Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation (2013-2016), the National Statistical Plan (2013-2016), the National Drug Plan, the IV Master Plan for Spanish Cooperation, the Strategic Diversification Plan for Fisheries and Aquaculture (2013-2020), the I Plan of Action for Spain implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1325/2000 on “Women, Peace and Security,” and the Museums+Social Plan.
The activities of the PEIO have significantly permeated the General State Administration (AGE), involving all 13 ministries and up to 43 second and third-level management centres. The main conclusion drawn from the analysis of the PEIO’s implementation is that a very high percentage of measures have been fulfilled. Specifically, 140 measures (66.0%) have been fully completed, 51 measures (24.1%) have been partially completed, and 21 measures (9.9%) have not been fulfilled. Overall, 191 measures (90.1% of the 212 measures) have been executed in whole or in part. Qualitatively, the activities carried out range from macro aspects, such as significant regulatory changes and developments with large population impacts (e.g., the introduction of a maternity supplement in the Social Security system’s contributory pensions (Law 48/2015)), to micro activities, such as training actions aimed at specific audiences.
Based on the recommendations provided in the PEIO 201-2016 assessment report, lessons learnt include simplifying the programming architecture, standardising planned activities, setting common guidelines for planning, allocating more resources to internal processes, defining specific objectives for internal management, implementing coordination and communication mechanisms, and strengthening the role of gender equality units in ministries. Consolidating progress in monitoring and improving operational aspects for future plans are also crucial, along with raising the visibility of the PEIO as an integral part of gender equality policies across the government.
The Spanish Strategic Equality Plans can be transferable to other contexts by creating a comprehensive plan that engages stakeholders, implements sector-specific plans, strengthens coordination and communication, conducts regular monitoring and evaluation, supports internal management, and adopts a flexible approach. By adapting these strategies to their unique contexts, other countries or regions can effectively promote gender equality and address specific gender equity challenges.
To draft and implement an Equality Plan following the Spanish model, other countries or regions would need To draft and implement an Equality Plan like the one outlined, countries or regions need political commitment, a strong legal framework, adequate funding, a skilled workforce, diverse stakeholder engagement, inter-agency collaboration, access to reliable data and research, ongoing training and capacity building, robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, and effective public awareness and communication. These elements are crucial to ensure the plan’s relevance, effectiveness, and successful implementation in promoting gender equality.
More information can be found at the following links:
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.