In Spain, the Mobilise Against Sexism project supported by the Council of Europe has been implemented by Lobby Europeo de Mujeres en España- LEM España, EWL’s national coordination in the country.
The Lobby Europeo de Mujeres en España- LEM España kicked off the project in August 2020 choosing, in parallel to the broader campaign messages, two specific sectors for further analysis: the Media and Justice.
They held two webinars through the Zoom platform, which were very well-received. More than 500 people registered to the two webinars and more than 350 attended.
The “Sexism in the media” seminar was held on October 29. The event was also advertised in advance by a News Agency specialised in women-related issues, AmecoPress. The debate and analysis were co-hosted with a group of five professionals from the communications sector, which were invited as external guests to contribute with their experience and competencies.
Through the debate, the speakers agreed on several fundamental pillars which would be fundamental, in their opinion, to get rid of sexism in the media. Among other reflections, they underlined the importance of the transversality of the application of the gender perspective in the information sector, as the non-stereotyped and non-discriminatory treatment of women should not be only limited to the classic examples that are now more easily acknowledged.
Secondly, there was a unanimous call to reinforce education with a gender perspective in communication degrees in Spanish schools, making it a compulsory subject. Finally, special emphasis was placed on the need to have gender experts contributing to specific agendas in all newsrooms.
The second webinar, “Sexism in justice,” was held on November 5th, again on Zoom. On this occasion, we collaborated with the Alternativas Foundation and the Institute for Women and for Equal Opportunities of the Ministry of Equality. It focused on the impact of sexism on Spanish Justice. The speakers were five women of recognized prestige in Spain. A dossier focused on the content of the Recommendations on justice was sent to the webinar participants. The day before the meeting, a press release was sent by LEM Spain to the contact base of the AmecoPress Communication Agency.
As in the previous meeting, the participants agreed on a series of essential points. Firstly, they called for greater efforts in the training of judges on a gender perspective. It was also pointed out that women experience particular difficulties in accessing senior positions in the judicial career, and rather represent a majority in the lower ranks. To break this glass ceiling, it is imperative to take measures that facilitate the work-life balance. Furthermore, the delay in the procedures on the part of the institutions and the emotional and economic dependency, can sometimes cause the victims of sexist prejudices in this sector to withdraw the complaints. The participants engaged in a lively exchange, sharing a large number of questions and sparking a rich debate among the speakers.
After the seminars, two sets of Recommendations have been prepared to be handed to the Spanish Public Administration in a future meeting.
Overall, LEM’s experience with the project has proved very positive so far: the initiative has been very well received and the outreach on social networks keeps growing every day.
To learn more about the project’s initiatives by Lobby Europeo de Mujeres en España- LEM España, click here.
To learn more about EWL’s collaborative Mobilise against sexism project and its implementation in other European countries click here.
To learn more about the Council of Europe’s campaign See it. Name it. Stop it. click here.
