Gender mainstreaming in Spain: policy instruments, influencing factors, and the role of local government

ABSTRACT

This article investigates equality policies in relation to gender mainstreaming in local governments, prior to the dismantling of equality policies in the wake of the financial crisis that began in 2008. Data from 198 municipalities based on the use of mainstreaming instruments revealed limited implementation of mainstreaming as a policy strategy. Similarly, a qualitative study on mainstreaming as a vision showed that the local level tended to reproduce supra-municipal deficits without offering a differential contribution. Lack of consistency was also observed between the role assigned to local entities by supra-municipal authorities and the role they actually played. Important influencing factors included the gender of the mayor, political colour of the local government, existence of a separate equality council, and adoption of an equality plan. The study concludes with recommendations for redefining local gender mainstreaming in a post-crisis scenario.

KEYWORDS:

• Equality
• gender mainstreaming
• local government
• multilevel policy
• employment policy
• Spain

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the municipalities involved for their willingness to participate in this study, and the two anonymous referees for their helpful comments.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Spanish Women´s Institute [grant number PN034] and the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness [grant number CSO2016-76828-R].

Notes on contributors

Paula Otero-Hermida

Paula Otero-Hermida is post-doctoral researcher at INGENIO CSIC-Universitat Politècnica de València, in Valencia, Spain. Her research is focused on responsible research and innovation, corporate social responsibility and gender equality policies from a multi-level perspective (local, regional, national, European). Her most recent publication, with M García-Melón, ‘Gender Equality Indicators for Research and Innovation from a Responsible Perspective: The Case of Spain’, appeared in Sustainability (2018).

Ramón Bouzas Lorenzo

Ramón Bouzas Lorenzo lectures at, and is Dean of, the Political Science Faculty of the University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain. His teaching and research activities focus on public management, human resources, organisational analysis, public sector marketing, and e-government.