The law will be discussed on Tuesday during the Council of Ministers and still needs to be approved by parliament. The announcement of the law comes a few days before International Women’s Day, Wednesday 8 March. According to the prime minister, his government “is not only taking a step in favor of feminism, but in favor of the whole of Spanish society”.
Half
The law follows a series of similar measures by the left-wing coalition. Last year, the transgender law was passed, which allows anyone over 16 to change the gender recorded in their passport or ID card without permission from a doctor or psychologist. Spain was also the first country in Europe to regulate menstrual leave for women. “If women represent half of society, then half of the political and economic power must also be female,” Sánchez said.
Listed
In concrete terms, this means that the management of every listed company, with more than 250 employees and an annual turnover of 50 million euros, must be made up of at least 40 percent women. Political parties must present an equal number of male and female candidates during elections, with the aim of increasing gender parity in parliament.
Currently, women make up 44% of members of Congress and 39% of members of the Senate. Professional associations must have at least 40% women on their boards, as do juries for publicly funded awards.