Call to defend women's rights: "We have a historic responsibility not to settle."

BarcelonaThirty years ago, representatives from 189 countries signed an agreement to reach consensus and approve the first gender policies that defended an idea that at the time still seemed far-fetched: that women's rights are human rights and that guaranteeing them is an obligation of public authorities. That historic event, which designed the agenda for equality worldwide, is known as the Fourth Conference on Women and was held in Beijing in 1995. But today, such a milestone would be impossible due to growing geopolitical tensions and the success of the conservative reactionary wave, fueled by groups whose origins are its stalwarts. They are increasingly unabashedly attacking the social victories achieved by women decades ago and calling into question those yet to be achieved.

The thirty speakers at the Beijing+30 Forum, organized by the Women, Business and Economy Observatory (ODEE) of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce and the Department of Equality and Feminism to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of this historic conference, called this Thursday for the reaffirmation of the commitment of those populist and authoritarian leaders. And, truly, the excitement and optimism with which they explained how they experienced that pioneering meeting—they said that in 1995 "the world agreed" to advance equality—has transformed into concern for the present. "No country has achieved full equality between women and men, but progress has been made, and we are alarmed that these fully achieved rights are now being questioned," said former UN Deputy Secretary-General Cristina Gallach.

The event brought together more than 450 people, and among the participants were several attendees at the 1995 forum, such as sociologist Marina Subirats—who represented the European Union in Beijing—and the president of GWL Voices, Susana Malcorra, who was chief of staff to the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Throughout the program, they not only discussed the desire of a segment of the population to cause a regression in women's rights, but also the multiple political, economic, and technological challenges to achieving a more egalitarian society. "If we raise our voices, there are still those who tell us: 'I don't know why you're complaining, you're better off than your mothers and grandmothers.' But none of our rights have been a gift. Inequality is a perception, it's a reality supported by statistics," argued Anna, entrepreneur and honorary president of ODEE.

The data show that the major pending task for governments is to assess the distribution of care, which still falls mainly on women and, in practice, functions as a kind of toll or gender tax.. Currently, in Catalonia, women hold 69% of part-time jobs and take 87% of leaves of absence from work, and a third statistic completes the picture: they handle 66% of domestic work. While more women have a higher education level (58%) than men (46.3%), they only hold 24% of management positions in Catalan companies and, furthermore, earn around €620 less per month compared to the average retirement pension between the sexes. Yet, four out of ten Catalan firms deny that there will be workplace discrimination against women by 2025. "Equality is not only a matter of social justice, but also economic justice: where there is inequality, there is wasted talent," recalled the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Josep Santacreu.

You also see it in wars

The speakers denounced deniers of gender violence, politicians who eliminate the concept of femicide or cut budgets, companies that penalize mothers at work and perpetuate the gender pay gap, and organizations that use social media and artificial intelligence to reproduce sexist and hateful discourses, which are increasingly linked to the contradiction they validate and assume as valid.

And what has been demanded in this debate to reverse this situation? The implementation and enforcement of equality laws, with budgets and sanctioning mechanisms; full and equal participation of women in politics, the economy, and society, with measures against harassment and hate speech; and the achievement of equal pay and the appreciation and compensation of caregiving. However, the need for women to have a voice in the conflicts that are claiming thousands of lives in Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan and silencing half the population in Afghanistan and Iran has also been underscored. "If historically we have been entrusted with caregiving, in war situations women will defend life," Subirats stated.

Malcorra recalled that a UN report found that one in four countries openly acknowledges having weakened their equality policies. "It's important to know that the setbacks are not happening on the margins, but are being reported to governments, which are reflected in laws, budget cuts, and a lack of information," she asserted. The Minister of Equality, Ana Redondo, expressed a similar sentiment: "We have a historic responsibility not to accept a powerful wave of reaction, backed by massive funding, that would return us to the realm of the home, to subjugation." In fact, she called for the creation of an "international feminist alliance": "If we don't strengthen ourselves, they will defeat us."

The President of the Generalitat (Catalan Government), Salvador Illa, participated in the event held this Thursday at the Lonja de Mar in Barcelona. He stated that for a just society and a strong democracy, "equality policies cannot be an add-on or a footnote, but must form a core part of government action." During his speech, he noted that progress has been made in equality policies in recent years, but that now "we cannot look the other way" in the face of the decline experienced in Europe and around the world. Also among those present were the Minister for Equality and Feminism, Eva Menor; the Minister for the European Union and Foreign Affairs, Jaume Duch; and the President of the Council of State, Carmen Calvo.