Feminism is discriminatory, say Spanish males (and females agree)

‘Getting your meals cooked, bed made and house cleaned isn’t a right... it’s full bed and board’

‘That four in 10 think we have gone too far means six in 10 want a feminist Spain’

NEARLY half of all Spanish men say feminism has gone too far and they are now discriminated against, according to findings which revealed nearly a third of women agree with them.

Spain has pivoted towards feminist-friendly policies in recent years under Left-wing Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

Some 44 per cent of men agreed that society had “come so far in promoting women’s equality that men are now being discriminated against”, according to the survey by the National Centre for Sociological Research.

The male respondents most likely to feel discriminated against were young. In the 16-24 age group, 52 per cent felt that the drive for women’s equality had gone too far.

Since 2018, governments led by Mr Sanchez have introduced a consent-based rape law and guaranteed menstrual leave from work for women with severe period pain.

His cabinets have always had at least 50 per cent female participation and the government is currently preparing a law to force all management boards to have women make up at least 40 per cent of their number.

Meanwhile, Spain’s gender pay gap between average men’s and women’s salaries fell from 28 per cent to 21 per cent in the decade between 2011 and 2021.

Despite the changes, a majority of Spaniards agreed that “major inequality” still exists between men and women, according to the study. But while some 67 per cent of women believed there were disparities between the sexes, only 48 per cent of men thought the same.

The survey, based on interviews with 4,000 people, also showed that Spanish women continue to bear a larger burden in terms of care and housework. On a weekday, women spend an average of just under three hours on chores, 50 per cent more than men.

Among parents, Spanish women dedicate 6.7 hours to their children per day, almost double the number clocked up by men.

The findings sparked concern among feminists that Spanish men were confusing a loss of historic privileges with an invasion of their rights.

“Getting your meals cooked, bed made and house cleaned isn’t a right; it’s full bed and board,” said TV presenter Sandra Sabatés.

But former equality minister Irene Montero, whose spell in Mr Sánchez’s government is blamed by many for dividing Spaniards over feminism due to her support for transgender rights and the early release of sex offenders from prison under the new rape law, was optimistic about the results.

“That four out of 10 men think that us feminists have gone too far also means that six out of 10, the majority, want a feminist Spain,” Ms Montero said in a post on X.