CONSEJO ECONÓMICO REPORT 01|2022

Y SOCIAL ESPAÑA WOMEN, WORK AND CARE: PROPOSALS AND PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE INFORME ANUAL

COLECCIÓN INFORMES NÚMERO 01|2022 01|2022

INFORME

CONCLUSIONS
AND CARE:

THE FUTURE
AND PROPOSALS
WOMEN, WORK

PROSPECTS FOR
PROPOSALS AND
Ordinary session of the plenary assembly, 27 April 2022

INFORME 01|2022
WOMEN, WORK
AND CARE:
PROPOSALS AND
PROSPECTS FOR
THE FUTURE
CONCLUSIONS
AND PROPOSALS

CONSEJO ECONÓMICO Y SOCIAL ESPAÑA

PUBLICATIONS DEPARTMENT
NICES: 828-2022

Colección Informes
Número 01/2022
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 CONTENTS OF THE REPORT (Spanish version at www.ces.es)

CHAPTER I. THE INITIAL SOCIO-OCCUPATIONAL SITUATION

CHAPTER II. COVID-19: GENDER IMPACTS

1. COVID-19, GENDER AND HEALTH
2. WORK, CARE AND EMPLOYMENT
2.1. Changes in social organisation and the accentuation of gender roles
2.2. Consequences for employment, occupation and working conditions
3. IMPACT ON ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL INEQUALITY
4. KNOWLEDGE SYSTEM, INFORMATION AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES
5. VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN DURING THE PANDEMIC

CHAPTER III. THE POST-COVID SCENARIO: TOWARDS AN

EGALITARIAN RECOVERY
1. GENDER PERSPECTIVE IN THE RECOVERY, TRANSFORMATION
AND RESILIENCE PLAN
2. TRANSFORMATION IN TERMS OF EQUALITY
2.1. Ecological transition and territorial cohesion
2.2. Knowledge system, digitalization and new technologies
2.3. Social cohesion and the new care economy

CHAPTER IV. CONCLUSIONS AND PROPOSALS

1. SLOW PROGRESS ON EQUALITY: NEED TO STEP UP EFFORTS
2. KNOWING, DIAGNOSING AND MAKING VISIBLE IN ORDER TO ACT
AGAINST INEQUALITIES.
3. EQUITABLE SHARING OF TIME, WORK AND CARE
4. FURTHER ADVANCING WOMEN’S ECONOMIC AUTONOMY
5. KNOWLEDGE, EDUCATION AND SCIENCE: THE DRIVERS OF
EQUALITY
6. WOMEN, AGENTS OF CHANGE TOWARDS ECOLOGICAL
TRANSITION
7. TOWARDS A NEW CARE ECONOMY: A COMPREHENSIVE VISION
8. BUILDING A FUTURE FREE OF GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE
9. ENSURE THE BALANCED PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN AND MEN
IN ALL SPHERES
10. LOOKING TO THE FUTURE: TRANSFORMATION WITH EQUALITY

FINAL CONSIDERATION
 WOMEN, WORK AND CARE: PROPOSALS AND PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE 4

CONCLUSIONS AND PROPOSALS

CONSEJO ECONÓMICO Y SOCIAL ESPAÑA

1. Slow progress on equality: need to step up efforts
Despite the undeniable progress made in recent decades, it is necessary to continue to
make visible the on-going inequality between women and men, both in the field of paid
work and in the distribution of care work, as well as in other dimensions of economic and
social organisation. Furthermore, it is essential to note the severe impact of the pandemic
on the reality of women, since pre-existing inequalities have been amplified and the im-
minence of a new crisis with unknown consequences makes it advisable to take advantage
of the lessons learned from previous experiences. It is also necessary to capitalise on the
opportunity offered by the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan scenario (Plan
de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia / PRTR), which envisages the powerful
impact that closing the gender gap would have on growth by harnessing the talent of
society as a whole.
Progress on gender equality in the European Union has been too slow, non-linear
and, in some areas, regressive. According to the European Institute for Gender Equality
(IG 2021), at the current rate, equality between men and women will not be achieved for
three generations, and this is without taking into account the impact of COVID-19. Just
before the pandemic, in 2019, Spain ranked sixth in the European Union, although there
had been some stagnation since 2010. Spain stood out for its favourable position in health,
education and political participation. The main disadvantages of women in Spain were
the greater time spent on care-related activities and the scant progress in the field of
employment, ranking 12th, and especially in the subfield of labour participation, where
it was 22nd, according to the EIGE.

The most recent crises have had a profound gender impact. Moreover, uncertainty about
the impact of the Ukrainian invasion on the recovery process may pose a new challenge to
advances on equality. It is precisely in the face of such disruptions that it becomes particularly
important to accelerate and intensify efforts in the field of gender equality policies.

2. Knowing, diagnosing and making visible in order to act against

inequalities
The pandemic has further highlighted the existing information gaps, as indicators includ-
ed in official data sources do not always disaggregate by sex, nor do they usually record

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 WOMEN, WORK AND CARE: PROPOSALS AND PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE 6

issues, incorporating qualitative analyses that would be relevant for their interpretation
from a gender perspective. Therefore, despite improvements in statistical information
systems, it is still difficult to make an accurate diagnosis of the situation of women in
different areas. Making women’s specific problems visible is a precondition for designing
solutions to them.
As an example, the SARS-Cov-2 health crisis has exposed the complex reality of health
inequalities, due to biological as well as environmental and social factors, which is reflect-
ed both in the available epidemiological indicators and in the absence of information on
relevant aspects of the evolution of the pandemic and its impact on women.
This problem is not limited to Spain. The European Parliament has in fact made a
general request to all Member States and European institutions to improve the produc-
tion of regular data on the impact of COVID-19 disaggregated by sex, in order to be able
to know more accurately the impact on gender equality and to ensure better-tailored
policy responses.

It is therefore necessary for statistical bodies to reinforce the production and updating of
data disaggregated by sex which, in addition to complying with the relevant regulations, will
improve knowledge of the reality of women in different areas (time use, income, Social Security
affiliation, health and access to healthcare, entrepreneurship, digitalisation, science and tech-
nology, social protection, among others) in order to identify the obstacles to effective equality.
Furthermore, and beyond data, it would be important to promote the inclusion of a gen-
der perspective in studies and research of all kinds, which also implies a qualitative analysis
considering their distinct position and the incidence of gender roles in different areas, in or-
der to understand the specific reality of women in all its dimensions and to detect persistent
inequalities.

The improvement of information is also a necessary requirement for the evaluation

of measures to advance effective equality, assessing their adequacy and effectiveness as
well as the efficiency of the use of public resources allocated to them.

It is essential to put in place systems for permanent monitoring and evaluation of the
measures and strategies adopted in favour of equality.
In any case, it would be advisable to improve the mandatory gender impact assessment
in the process of approving regulations and, in general, to incorporate this vision into the
design, monitoring and evaluation of all public policies, thereby effectively complying with
legal provisions.

3. Equitable sharing of time, work and care

The lack of appreciation of the unpaid work that women have traditionally carried out
within the family is at the root of many situations of inequality in the labour market,

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 WOMEN, WORK AND CARE: PROPOSALS AND PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE 7

which also discourage or devalue women’s participation in the labour market, and which
is reflected in the care work sectors, mostly occupied by women. The unequal opportu-
nities for women that this attachment to family care implies must be redressed and these
cultural biases must not be carried over by inertia into the post-pandemic scenario.
As we have seen throughout this report, the pandemic has
brought with it a clear shift in people’s lives towards the home Increasing
and the private sphere, which carries with it clear risks of re- co-responsibility,
versing the progress made in recent decades in terms of equal- essential for
ity between women and men. Thus, while according to the equality
limited empirical evidence available, men have also increased
the time spent on unpaid work since March 2020, this has by no means closed the gender
gap in this area. As women are the majority carers of children and dependent adults,
they have had to make up for the partial or total limitation of access to care services or
informal help.
With regard to women’s paid work, a twofold trend in terms of the impact of the pan-
demic can be highlighted, depending mainly on the sectors and occupations in which
they are located. On the one hand, women form the majority in sectors involving a greater
degree of physical proximity, those sectors that were initially more affected by the sharp
drop in employment (such as hotels and catering, tourism) or by their exposure to the
virus and work overload (such as health and care for dependent persons). On the other
hand, in other sectors, a trend towards more home-based work has started, which has
allowed them to maintain their activity. However, this has entailed some risks both from
a strictly work-related point of view (potential isolation of the worker, stress, increased
occupational risks, accumulation of working hours, etc.) and in terms of the difficulty of
establishing boundaries between work and personal life, as both are carried out in the
same space.
The pandemic has clearly disrupted personal and collective life and gender equality,
highlighting a phenomenon that was already there, namely that women are mostly re-
sponsible for unpaid care work and that this results in a weaker link to the labour market,
which puts them at a disadvantage in the face of adverse social or individual circum-
stances.

To achieve an inclusive labour market that does not discriminate against women or waste
a crucial part of their human capital, in a context of, moreover, transforming labour demand,
particular attention will need to be paid to:

 The strategic role of active policies to promote full equality of women and men in the
labour market and to respond to their problems and needs, ensuring a gender main-
streaming approach with specific measures that address the different circumstances of
women.

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 WOMEN, WORK AND CARE: PROPOSALS AND PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE 8

 Compliance with regulations on equal pay plans and measures in companies and public
administrations.
 The diversity of women and the specific problems of certain vulnerable groups due to their
age, educational level, origin, single parenthood, gender-based violence or other factors.
By way of example, it would be necessary to make progress on formulas that also enable
reconciliation for women in self-employment and care work.
 Active promotion of the presence of women in certain sectors and occupations with grow-
ing demand, such as those fields of STEM where they are under-represented, so that their
educational achievements are consistently reflected in the labour market and in their
professional careers.
 The need for families with dependents to have access to professional services and af-
fordable care infrastructures to facilitate the labour participation of all people, which
necessarily entails a sufficient provision of public resources.
 The design and evaluation of public policies (especially work-life balance policies) which
should avoid gender bias in their implementation, and, in general, raise collective aware-
ness of the need to achieve co-responsibility between men and women in unpaid care in
order to achieve real equality.
 The need, in short, to strengthen co-responsibility beyond the individual sphere, that is,
by involving public administrations, companies and society as a whole in order to create
more favourable environments for a fairer distribution of time, work and care from a
gender perspective.

4. Further advancing women’s economic autonomy

In recent years there have been positive developments through measures that have a
direct impact on women’s income and economic situation, such as the increase in the
minimum wage, the bonus against the gender gap in pensions or measures related to equal
pay and equality plans in companies.

It is necessary to further promote the implementation, development and effective appli-

cation of measures aimed at reducing the pay and pension gap in order to achieve effective
equality between women and men.

The economic effects of the pandemic have not been neutral from a gender perspec-
tive. The existing information on its most immediate impact shows that it has had a some-
what greater impact on the economic and financial situation of women, although, unlike
in previous crises, it has been considerably alleviated by the social policies approved
during the crisis, through the temporary lay-offs (ERTE), the special allowance for ter-
mination of activity, the minimum living income (IMV) and other measures.

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 WOMEN, WORK AND CARE: PROPOSALS AND PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE 9

The relevance of social policies in cushioning the social impact of the crisis has been high-
lighted, and further progress is needed from a more long-term gender perspective to address
effective gender equality through economic and social protection measures aimed at over-
coming economic gender inequalities.

In addition, the increase in demand for help from third sector organisations has partly
reflected problems of access to social benefits and subsidies, which largely affect vulner-
able women, with a significant representation of households with dependent children,
especially single-parent households and women with an immigrant background.

Thus, in relation to the most vulnerable situations, it is important that public administra-
tions fill the gaps in protection and rectify the bureaucratic, technological or other difficulties
that prevent many women from accessing aid.
Specifically, the impact of the IMV in reducing economic gender inequality hinges on
its ability to adequately combine the economic benefit with training and labour activation
programmes that help to incorporate the greatest possible number of female beneficiaries
into the labour market. Only in this way will it be possible to combat the poverty trap that
many women find themselves in.

Special attention must also be paid to the management problems that have arisen in
its processing and that have undermined its coverage and effectiveness at a time of social
emergency, such as that experienced during the pandemic, aggravated by the existing
digital gaps in the public administration and among the most vulnerable population.

Beyond the verification of the requirements, public administrations must guarantee in-
formation on the existence of the IVM and the availability of the necessary resources to apply
for it, as many households living in poverty lack the necessary information and resources
to do so.

5. Knowledge, education and science: the drivers of equality

The pandemic has highlighted the enormous transformation experienced by the knowl-
edge system, in the face of an accelerated development of processes that were already
underway, such as digitalisation, the massive use of the Internet, social networks, artificial
intelligence and big data. This has shaped access to information and acquisition of knowl-
edge and has also highlighted the persistence of some imbalances whose origin lies in
gender inequalities, such as the low participation of women in education and employment
linked to STEM disciplines, limitations to research careers and the consequent existence
of a glass ceiling, digital gender gaps or bias in algorithms.

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 WOMEN, WORK AND CARE: PROPOSALS AND PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE 10

As a matter of fact, gender mainstreaming in this area is essential to achieve the goal of equal-
ity. This implies involving the whole educational community in changing students’ attitudes
and values regarding equality from the earliest stages, as well as acting on the intrinsic and
extrinsic factors linked to the insufficient number of women in some STEM fields (since they
are strongly involved in others) or those related to the digital divide.
In this sense, the PRTR offers the opportunity to carry out decisive actions in the knowl-
edge system as a whole, both in the formal education system and in the science, technology
and innovation system, assuming greater commitments and developing new initiatives and
measures that enable the principle of equality between women and men to be effectively ap-
plied. For this reason, in the development of the Plan it will be necessary to dedicate greater
resources and make more effective use of them, so that initiatives such as the plan for the
modernisation and digitalisation of the education system and the promotion of vocational
training accelerate progress in gender equality in this area.

Although the gender gap is present in all stages of educa-

tion and then extends to the productive system, with segmen- Banish STEM
tation in the occupational structure of women and men, it is stereotypes and
particularly worrying in relation to the STEM and ICT fields. encourage greater
The lower presence and participation of women in these fields participation in
has among its causes the persistence of gender stereotypes, Science and ICT
by internalising a series of patterns about suitability in these
subjects that shape not only abilities and skills, but also educational and professional
preferences and expectations from the earliest stages, which continue into adolescence
and youth and ultimately hinder the full professional inclusion of many women.

Therefore, it is necessary to act from an early age ( fostering girls’ interest in science and
technology from childhood) by promoting an effective model for teaching and learning these
disciplines at all stages of education through curricular changes. Initiatives linked to the
formal education system must include actions concerning curricular content, educational
methodologies, teacher training and programming in schools from the outset and at all
stages.

In addition, there is still a significant under-representation in academic and scientific

careers, which creates a glass ceiling for young women researchers, who often see their
possibilities for professional development limited.

In this respect, although the regulations have long included measures to attract and retain
female research talent and to develop women’s scientific careers, their effective application
should be monitored and the causes preventing progress in this area should be examined in
greater depth.

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 WOMEN, WORK AND CARE: PROPOSALS AND PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE 11

The aim would be to attract more young women to science, showing all the possibilities
offered by a research career and correcting the inequalities that occur in the processes of re-
cruitment and selection of research talent or in the leadership and management of projects,
but also ensuring an equitable, diverse and inclusive working environment, and effectively
promoting work-life balance for research staff through institutional co-responsibility.
Furthermore, it is necessary to promote the role of women in the scientific and technolog-
ical fields by constructing a new narrative of science and technology that makes visible the
decisive participation of women in the science ecosystem. In this respect, although campaigns
to promote scientific and technological vocations in girls and young women have succeeded
in bringing this reality closer to schools, greater efforts could still be made to make female
role models and references more visible.
On the other hand, greater efforts are also needed to raise awareness of the professional
development possibilities offered by ICTs and to promote the incorporation of women into
the sector and, at the same time, to make progress in detecting imbalances that indicate
on-going discrimination and correct them by means of plans and other equality measures,
in accordance with the relevant regulations. Digital entrepreneurship by women should also
be encouraged, and their participation in the design, creation and production of digital tools,
content or services should be promoted.

There is a significant gender digital divide, mainly in terms

of access (14% of women are not digitally integrated), which is Achieving gap-free
aggravated in the case of older women, but also in terms of ad- digitalisation and
vanced use, as differences persist when it comes to the updat- equal participation
ing of technological devices, new applications and advanced of women in AI
programmes, which imply inequalities in terms of potential
and limits of use.
This is compounded by the existence of a gap in relation to more specialised digital
skills which are, in turn, relevant for employability, as digitalisation permeates all sectors
of economic activity.
The PRTR has digitalisation as one of its central axes of action which, with a gender
perspective, is materialised in ensuring equal access to infrastructures and tools, provid-
ing the necessary digital skills and promoting the different uses, basic and advanced, that
allow progress towards a greater digital equality of society as a whole, from the youngest
ages to the oldest population.

Therefore, part of the actions envisaged in the National Digital Skills Plan (“Plan Na-
cional de Competencias Digitales”) should aim to provide the necessary digital skills and
contribute to overcoming the gender digital divide.
It is necessary to act from the earliest ages, promoting curricular changes from early
childhood education and providing didactic and methodological resources that foster the

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 WOMEN, WORK AND CARE: PROPOSALS AND PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE 12

development of thinking skills and digital competences that equalise opportunities for girls
and boys, without any kind of discrimination.
In any case, there is a need to promote lifelong learning in ICT skills, both in advanced
skills for women coming from non-technological disciplines, as well as in programmes for
professional re-qualification and retraining of skills to adapt to the changes brought about
by digitalisation. Moreover, in the case of digital literacy policies, the overlap of gender with
age, educational attainment and rurality should be particularly taken into account.

The benefits of AI systems and technology are undeniable, but so are the associated
risks, as it has been found that algorithms can include elements of discrimination and
risk further perpetuating gender stereotypes. However, if properly designed, AI systems
should contribute to reducing existing prejudices and structural discrimination.

The use of artificial intelligence should avoid any gender bias in algorithms, which should
be designed avoiding stereotypes and discriminatory practices. This would undoubtedly be
helped by greater involvement of women in the process of creating the technology (program-
ming and coding) and by mainstreaming gender equality at all stages of the process.

6. Women, agents of change towards ecological transition

There is a certain lack of coherence between the importance of the role of women in ef-
fectively addressing the sustainability agenda and their yet low representation in leading
sectors, as well as in decision-making positions in both the public and private sectors. The
importance of women’s contribution to the urban and rural ecosystem, in the form of paid
work, care and social participation, contrasts with the scant attention paid to their needs
in terms of infrastructure design, urban planning and housing policies or access to mea-
sures to promote environmental sustainability. In addition to being unfair, this situation
is inefficient for the productive system itself.
Full incorporation of women into the country transformation implied by the ecological
and energy transition promoted by the PRTR represents a challenge full of opportunities
to make the most of their talent and implement a new urban and rural agenda that is more
inclusive and that provides the backbone of social and territorial cohesion.

In a scenario where much of the activity recovery in the coming years relies on the buoy-
ancy of this axis, it is essential to strengthen the participation and leadership of women in
all dimensions of the ecological transition, favouring their access to studies, employment,
entrepreneurship and decision-making positions in sectors associated with climate change
mitigation and adaptation.

Most of the initiatives adopted in recent years assume the need to incorporate a gen-
der perspective in the fight against the climate emergency and the ecological transition,

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 WOMEN, WORK AND CARE: PROPOSALS AND PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE 13

especially in those sectors where they are traditionally under-represented, such as energy
or water resource management.

In order to consolidate the role of women as agents of change at all levels of the ecological
transition, it is important that this commitment is translated into concrete actions, em-
powering women’s participation and effectively incorporating a gender perspective in the
implementation and evaluation methodology of the different actions.

Construction, infrastructure and service projects are of

great interest from a gender perspective, in areas such as the The new urban
location of facilities, housing, accessibility, mobility, the per- agenda: sustainable
ception of safety and the visibility or urban representation and inclusive cities
of women. In addition, women are more likely to use public for all people
transport and less likely to use private vehicles, and they are
more likely to make complex journeys related to domestic and care work. They are also
exposed more often than men to the risk of violence when walking in certain places and
are often, in fact, victims of violence.

These differences should be contemplated in a more inclusive design of mobility and

urban planning, analysing the experiences of “smart cities” already implemented in many
cities, with the participation of women themselves.
Likewise, the role of women as users of the transport system needs to be promoted, taking
into account their different needs and habits in terms of travel and traffic patterns.
Moreover, the under-representation of women in the sector should be corrected by im-
plementing equality plans and measures in companies and public administrations and by
rolling out specific equal opportunities plans in transport and mobility.
Women’s participation in the process of “greening” the economy must be improved, tak-
ing advantage of the opportunities offered by the PRTR, especially some of its axes more
directly related to the ecological transition, rethinking urban planning and cities to make
them more inclusive. It is essential as well to promote employability, entrepreneurship and
women’s access to jobs and decision-making positions linked to this transformation, with ad
hoc policies, programmes and resources.

Sustainable land management is a key element of the

ecological transition, on which the quality of food, the pro- Women are
duction of renewable energies, the conservation of forests, decisive in the
biodiversity and the management of the water cycle depend. rural agenda and
The pandemic brought stark evidence of the structural imbal- the fight against
ances in the Spanish territorial model, revealing the obstacles depopulation
and shortcomings in the provision of basic services in many

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 WOMEN, WORK AND CARE: PROPOSALS AND PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE 14

municipalities. Moreover, as highlighted in the CES Report 2/2021 A living and sustainable
rural environment, many of these imbalances are related to the gender issue.
All of this represents a major obstacle to territorial cohesion, which is why it is necessary
to promote the empowerment of women in rural areas and to develop objective conditions
for improving their employability, labour participation and promoting entrepreneurship on
an equal footing with men; to make progress in improving education, vocational training
and digital skills; to adapt policies to ensure equity in equality policies in rural areas, such
as reconciliation and co-responsibility; to improve the provision of infrastructures and
ensure access to quality public services (such as health, education, social services, care for
dependency, mobility, etc.) as well as to guarantee maximum security and care for victims of
violence against women, while at the same time promoting generational change.
In line with these needs, the PRTR places territorial cohesion among its main cross-
cutting axes and thus links up with the Plan of Measures to Meet the Demographic Challenge
(Plan de Medidas ante el Reto Demográfico). The gender perspective should be particularly
taken into account in its implementation.

Many women, because of their more unfavourable socio-

economic circumstances, may be particularly affected by the Fair energy
costs of the energy transition. A comprehensive vision of fair transition, with
transition refers to the need to leave nobody behind in this and for women
transformation process.
It should be borne in mind that energy poverty particularly affects single-parent
households, which find it more difficult both to meet their bills and to undertake energy
efficiency improvements in their homes. Apart from the measures for vulnerable groups
included in the Energy Poverty Strategy, there is a risk that women do not have access to
other types of aid and incentives that require a significant investment, even though this is
reduced by aid (subsidies for energy rehabilitation of buildings and access to renewable
energies; aid for sustainable mobility and electric cars, etc.).

It is necessary to strengthen the gender perspective in the Energy Poverty Strategy. At

the same time, preventive measures against energy poverty should be promoted for different
population groups that are particularly exposed, with special relevance in the case of elderly
women living alone.
In addition, there is a need to promote gender-equal access to energy transition assistance.

7. Towards a new care economy: a comprehensive vision

The incorporation of women into the labour market and their access to higher levels of
education (redefining their work and personal expectations) has changed work, family
and gender structures, posing a challenge in the provision of care, historically carried out
by women at the household level due to the unfair distribution of the burden of domes-

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 WOMEN, WORK AND CARE: PROPOSALS AND PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE 15

tic and care responsibilities between women and men. The shortcomings in the area of
co-responsibility, together with the advance of demographic ageing, place the so-called
“care crisis” among the most important social and economic challenges, with an obvious
gender dimension.
The PRTR and, more specifically, the “Co-Responsible Plan” (Corresponsables) al-
ready point towards this new productive model. In relation to the latter, although it is
a positive initiative in the direction of creating “integrated care systems”, facilitating
families’ access to professionalised care services, it remains to be seen how effectively it
is implemented by the different Autonomous Communities.
Sectors and occupations linked to care deserve special mention in the current context,
not only because of their crucial importance in the pandemic situation, but also because
of their potential to create and improve the quality of this type of jobs traditionally per-
formed by women.

The strengthening of these sectors and the consolidation of a new care economy proposed
by the PRTR is an opportunity to achieve equality between women and men through a more
equitable distribution of care.
Increasing female labour participation and quality female employment requires pro-
moting the availability and affordability of professional care infrastructures and services,
as well as ensuring universal access to the right to be cared for. This will alleviate the unpaid
workload of women but also professionalise particularly feminised occupations, such as
domestic and/or care work, in the context of an increasingly ageing Europe.
Dignifying and improving the social value of care professions and, at the same time, pro-
moting the incorporation of men into these sectors, breaking stereotypes, should be priority
objectives on the horizon of the new care economy.

Women health professionals, with their clear majority, form the backbone of the health
and social care system. The professional base of this system needs to be strengthened in
order to deal with the health care of the entire population, as well as its capacity to deal
with health crises, such as that of COVID-19, with a high destabilising potential. Further-
more, given the strong feminisation of the health and social care sectors, strengthening
their professional dimension through improvements in professional training and working
conditions would translate into progress in terms of gender equality. For this reason, the
PRTR (which in its item 18 addresses the strengthening of the capacities of the NHS) is
a good opportunity for this.
Care for dependent adults, as one aspect of formal care, should be strengthened as
care needs increase in the context of progressive demographic ageing. In this regard,
the improvements in the SAAD addressed in item 22 of the PRTR should translate into
improvements in the quality of care, by increasing the professionalisation of care and the
favourable development of working conditions in a highly feminised sector with a large

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 WOMEN, WORK AND CARE: PROPOSALS AND PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE 16

incidence of job insecurity. It is also important to ensure coverage in care from public
infrastructures and services, given the deficits detected.
The effects of the pandemic on the elderly population receiving this type of care have
led to a shift towards family care, away from the objective of professional and quality
care, which will have to be taken into account for the proper development of the system
in the coming years. In this respect, consideration should be given to the increase in work
overload that this may entail for women and the consequent worsening of their health
conditions and their employment and wage opportunities.
Other aspects of care for the most vulnerable people in social services, such as the
system for the reception of applicants for international protection, the system for the
protection of minors or for victims of trafficking, are also of great importance from a
gender perspective, both from the point of view of the provision and the reception of care.

The effective development of a new care economy requires harnessing the resources fore-
seen in the PRTR to strengthen the capacities of the health, care and social services sectors
in order to improve gender equality, as well as to consolidate an accessible, universal and
quality public care system.

The outsourcing of a large part of the tasks in households means that domestic workers
make a particularly significant contribution in our country, which is why any progress
in the recognition of the social and economic contribution of this type of occupation is
so important.

The necessary modifications should be addressed to make further progress in the equality
of rights of these workers, in particular with regard to the convergence of benefits of the spe-
cific Domestic Work Scheme with the General Social Security Scheme, within the framework
of social dialogue on this matter.

8. Building a future free of gender-based violence

The persistence and severity of violence against women has been particularly evident
during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This increases the need to continue to deepen, through a comprehensive approach, the
means for the prevention and eradication of all its expressions, as well as to act on its causes
and provide protection to the victims.

The recently approved list of urgent measures in the Plan for Improvement and Mod-
ernisation against Gender Violence entails progress in the main areas of action, such as the
involvement of the victim’s environment and society as a whole; early detection in local
public services; support for the autonomy of women to break with violence; protection of

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 WOMEN, WORK AND CARE: PROPOSALS AND PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE 17

children from vicarious violence; reinforcement of the protection and safety of victims,
and improvement of inter-institutional coordination protocols. Resources linked to the
PRTR and the Spain Protects You Plan included in the former can contribute to imple-
menting improvements in protection.

Full compliance with these measures needs to be promoted. It is also necessary to con-
tinue to intensify efforts to combat sexual harassment and harassment on grounds of sex in
the workplace, and it is necessary to promote compliance with the obligation to have pro-
tocols on sexual harassment and harassment on grounds of sex in all companies and public
administrations.
On the other hand, the fight against trafficking and sexual exploitation of women and
children as well as the protection of women and girls must be strengthened.
The persistence of a such a social problem requires a continuous evaluation of the effec-
tiveness of existing protection mechanisms as well as a permanent reflection on the potential
contribution of society as a whole to its eradication and, in particular, of the educational
community and its environment.
It is necessary, in any case, to increase public resources both to guarantee the sufficiency
of the means of protection and to prevent gender violence and avoid the propagation of
gender-based violence denialist discourses.

Of particular concern is the growing use of ICTs, social networks and virtual environ-
ments as a channel for violence against women in various forms, such as cyber-bullying,
which is particularly frequent among young people. It should be recalled that protocols
on sexual and gender-based harassment are mandatory, and also include cyber-bullying
as a way of engaging in this type of conduct.

This requires new responses in terms of prevention, identification of this type of be-
haviour, protection of victims and sanctions. Education and dissemination of information
on how to interact safely in virtual spaces and how to use social networks responsibly should
be promoted.
It is also necessary to promote collaboration with the media and advertising, in all its
formats, in order to avoid the dissemination of sexist stereotypes and to contribute to raising
social awareness of gender inequality and violence.

9. Ensuring the balanced participation of women and men in all spheres

One aspect of great importance in advancing towards equality is to achieve greater par-
ticipation of women not only in the labour sphere, but in all social, political and economic
spheres. Spain has taken important steps in this area due to the initiatives adopted in
recent years, especially since the LOI, and performance in terms of women’s social par-
ticipation in the existing indices is good.

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 WOMEN, WORK AND CARE: PROPOSALS AND PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE 18

Despite progress, efforts are still needed to achieve more balanced gender participation in
the political, economic and social spheres, and there is significant room for improvement in
women’s access to positions of responsibility in all types of economic, social, political, scien-
tific, academic and interest representation organisations.

New channels of participation through the internet or social media also deserve spe-
cial attention, as they play an important role in the generation of gender stereotypes.
The participation of women in these new channels has favoured their empowerment in
various fields but also reflects many of the persistent gender problems.

Increasing women’s participation in these areas is necessary and must be accompanied

by measures to reduce existing prejudices and structural discrimination.

10. Looking to the future: transformation with equality

Equality between women and men, and consequently closing the gender gap, is one of
the four key vectors on which the actions of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience
Plan (PRTR) pivot. This is reflected in an integral perspective, both in its incorporation
at the level of the different measures and in a cross-cutting manner, defining common
guidelines for action in the design and deployment of the Plan as a whole.
In practice, the incorporation of equality between women and men throughout the
Plan has not been uniform nor has it been carried out in a comprehensive manner. The
Plan itself states that only a quarter of it includes specific actions with a direct impact
on the reduction of the gender gap, to which we could add the impact derived from the
transformation of the productive sectors covered by the plan, which reaches more than
half of the measures, as well as other indirect impacts.

In this sense, the PRTR can be the instrument to fully incorporate women in the transfor-
mation of the productive model with greater female participation in all activities, a presence
that would complement the role that women are already playing as agents of change and
transformation in many relevant areas and which are decisive for economic recovery, con-
tributing to achieving effective equality. The objective would be not only to make women’s
needs visible in terms of equality, but also to establish strategic lines with measures that
imply the real possibilities of achieving it.
Similarly, throughout its development, it will be necessary to include provisions to guar-
antee and make visible the fulfilment of this priority, with monitoring indicators and ob-
jectives broken down by sex. With a view to future revisions of the Plan, the definition of a
principle of guarantees of equality in all the proposed actions, similar to the principle of “no
significant harm” to the environment, could contribute to reflecting this perspective in an
integral manner in the implementation of the Plan.

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 WOMEN, WORK AND CARE: PROPOSALS AND PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE 19

All of this should culminate, within the framework of the PRTR evaluation process, in the
carrying out of a gender impact assessment of the Plan. However, so far, the definition of an
“ad hoc” evaluation system for the PRTR, apart from monitoring the pace of implementation,
has proved to be one of its main shortcomings.
In any case, in line with what has already been said about the need to improve information
from a gender perspective, the approach to the gender impact of the Plan would require the
definition of objectives of the investments contemplated, broken down by sex in the different
areas (university, training, R&D system), which would have made it possible to approximate
the gender impact of the Plan.

On the other hand, the cross-cutting gender perspective also extends to the admin-
istrative procedures necessary to materialise reforms and investments (definition and
design of projects and selection, monitoring and evaluation procedures). In this sense,
although the Plan includes a sectoral analysis of the measures that contribute to gender
equality and opportunities and suggests guidelines for incorporating this perspective,
some difficulties are noted in projects that are not specifically aimed at reducing the
gender gap. The problem lies not so much in a lack of transformative will as in a lack of
knowledge about how to implement equality solutions, which sometimes only require a
change of approach.

For this reason, greater attention should be paid to the guidelines issued by the Women’s
Institute of the Ministry of Equality and other similar instruments to contribute to this ob-
jective and to guide the incorporation of the gender perspective in the regular practices, both
of the bodies of the corresponding administration and of the private entities participating
in the projects.
The PRTR is also an ideal opportunity to incorporate intersectionality as a horizontal
principle for the application of the gender perspective in the design and implementation of
public policies so that interventions also take into account the different realities experienced
by women.

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FINAL CONSIDERATION

In short, as we have seen throughout the report, even before the pandemic, equality between
women and men needed to accelerate and intensify efforts to advance. The COVID-19 crisis
has caused a high gender impact and new risks of setbacks in several areas crucial to equality,
especially in the field of the unequal distribution of the burden of work and care, highlighting
the need for a change of model. Against a backdrop of uncertainty in the face of the serious
consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it is more important than ever to reinforce the
objectives of effective equality between women and men in the roadmap for the coming years.
In this context, the PRTR continues to represent a great opportunity to effectively apply the
principle of gender mainstreaming, reconsidering areas of public policies in which inequali-
ties between women and men had gone unnoticed or had not been considered relevant until
now. The confluence of its application in the coming years with the new Strategic Plan for
effective equality between men and women should nurture synergies between the different
areas of public policies so that this new impetus permeates all of them and favours visible
and assessable results, for which the active participation of the social partners is essential.