Spain is ‘feminist capital of Europe’ under parity law

JURIES presiding over competitions will have to be gender-balanced under new Spanish laws aimed at making the country the most feminist in Europe.

Gender parity in government and in boardrooms will also be mandated under legislation to be unveiled by Spain’s Left-wing government today.

Pedro Sánchez, the prime minister, said that the law would make Spain “the leader of feminism in Europe”.

“If women constitute half of society, half of political and economic power has to belong to women,” Mr Sánchez told members of his Socialist Party at a weekend rally.

Mr Sánchez said juries who chose prize-winners would have to be balanced, citing the experience of Nadia Calviño, the economy minister, who, he said, often found herself to be the only woman on expert panels.

Ms Calviño announced last year that she would no longer participate in round tables where no other women were present.

However, Mr Sánchez’s femalemajority cabinet would fall foul of the requirement that each sex be represented by at least 40 per cent. The Spanish cabinet has 14 female ministers compared to eight male.

In party electoral lists for parliament, the new law will replace the current requirement of 40 per cent for each sex with a “zipper” system in which men and women must be listed alternately to ensure a closer balance.

Voters choose a single party list for Spain’s Congress lower house, with no option to select individual candidates.

With 42 per cent of female MPS in Congress, the Spanish parliament is behind Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Belgium. In the UK, where Labour and the Liberal Democrats have voluntary quotas, women make up 35 per cent of the House of Commons.

“Some people will think this is bad and totally disproportionate but we think it is justice, plain and simple,” Mr Sánchez said of the reform plan, which will be passed by his government on the eve of International Women’s Day.

Cuca Gamarra, chief spokeswoman for the conservative opposition Popular Party, said the law would allow Mr Sánchez to “get rid of as many male ministers as women ministers”.