Feminist advocacy plummets among young people
Denial of gender-based violence has doubled in four years.
BarcelonaPolarization among young Spaniards is increasing. Although the generation between 15 and 29 years old shares many concerns, such as housing and mental health, their ideological positions are increasingly opposed. The distance is accentuated when comparing the thoughts of men and women, given that the ideological gap is widening. Specifically, men are divided between ideologies: 25% are on the right and 33% in the center, while 31% adhere to the left. As for women, 41% define themselves as left-wing, compared to 21% who define themselves as right-wing. 7% of men and 6% of women are on the far right. "We need to understand what is happening to young people in that country," said the Minister of Youth and Children, Sira Rego.
According to the 2024 Spanish Youth Report, produced every four years by the Youth Institute, if there has been a regression in recent years, it has been in the feminist struggle. While in 2019, 64% of young people supported feminism, the percentage fell to 54% in 2023. When asked about "gender equality," the same trend is followed: their support drops from 74% to 62%. This decline is explained by the distancing of men from the cause: only 40.9% of young men say they are feminists, a figure 15 points lower than in 2019. Meanwhile, two out of three young people do identify as such (67.6%).
There is another devastating fact: the denial of gender violence has doubled since the Institute's last study. Specifically, 23.1% of men between the ages of 15 and 29 consider it to be "an ideological invention." In 2019, the figure stood at 13.2%. However, it's surprising that this view has also spread among young women in recent years. In fact, it grew by 108%, going from 5.7% to 11.9%. In short: two out of ten men and one out of ten women believe that gender-based violence does not exist. Regarding the right to abortion, 71% of women are in favor, compared to 55.6% of men.
There has also been an increase in interest in politics among young people. Specifically, 55% say they are interested, although they choose to express this interest through alternative means. A clear example of this is that 31% of young people attach little importance to participating in social or political associations, while there has been a general increase in active and direct expressions of action. 41.2% of young people participated in a strike during 2023, while only 22.51% did so in 2019. Participation in demonstrations also increased from 21.24% to 39.4%.
The difficulties faced by young people
According to the same report, Spain has one of the highest ages of leaving home in Europe. In 2023, young Spaniards left home at 30.4 years old, four years above the European average of 26.3. Furthermore, 65.6% of young people between the ages of 18 and 34 continue to live wholly or partially on financial support from their parents. The EU average is more than 15 percentage points lower, at 49.6%. As the report notes, this situation would push the age of first motherhood in Spain to 31.6 years old. "Parenthood, with its necessary conditions of stability, is not an option for most young people," the report states.
Another issue of concern for young people is mental health. According to the data collected, one in three young people finds themselves in a situation of unwanted loneliness. This problem is also prevalent among various groups: 47.6% of young people in the LGBTIQ+ community experience it, while only 26.8% of heterosexuals do. Regarding mental health, 19% of young people experience low emotional well-being, with women (24.2%) more at risk than men (14%). Furthermore, 32% of young women report having had non-consensual sex, compared to 19% of men.
