“For the first time since the return of democracy there are more women than men. Equality will be an authentic priority of the government”: these were the first words spoken by the new Spanish prime minister, the socialist Pedro Sanchez, as he entered the Moncloa Palace in Madrid. Indeed, today the pinkest government in Europe is sworn in the Iberian capital: the list presented by the secretary of the Socialist and Workers' Party, who replaces the outgoing Mariano Rajoy, it includes 11 women in key executive roles, compared to only 6 men. Two thirds of the seats in the Sanchez government are therefore painted pink, and this while the new Italian government, defined as "of change", instead confirms the male-dominated tradition with only 5 out of 20 women (including prime minister and undersecretary to the prime minister), however not all in key ministries.
In fact, while our female quotas are placed in Health, Defence, the South, Public Administration and Regional Affairs, the level of responsibility from Spain is also surprising: for example, the deputy prime minister, Carmen Calvo, the minister of the economy, Nadia Calvino, are women, that of Finance (in Spain the two ministries are still separate), Maria Jesus Montero, the head of Justice Dolores Delgado, that of the Interior Margarita Robles, the owners of Labor Magdalena Valerio, of Industry Reyes Maroto and of Health Carmen Monton. Men are left with the crumbs: Foreign Affairs, Defence, Investments, University and Science, and Agriculture. All while a few days ago the most important newspaper in the country, El Pais, nominated for the first time in its history a woman as director, Soledad Gallego-Díaz, a historic signature much appreciated on the left.
A sign of a return of Zapaterismo? It is not known, but in the meantime the comparison with Italy is merciless: in a country, ours, with 52% of the female population, women are still far not only from key roles in power but also from the government program: in fact, in the famous contract there is not much dedicated to women's rights, the Ministry for Equal Opportunities no longer exists (it has been replaced by the one on Family and Disability), and in his speech to ask for the confidence of the Senate, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte did not spend any particular words on the subject. What about other European countries? In France, there are 8 female ministers out of a total of 17 (including Prime Minister Philippe), practically half and also in key roles. Even in Germany the distribution is fair: if we also count Chancellor Angela Merkel, women are 7 out of 13.
When you don't know what to say then you bring up these ridiculous gender issues