More than 5 million participate in “feminist strike” in Spain

10, Mar 2018 | CJP Team

The Guardian reported that on Thursday, March 8, Spain’s Workers’ Commissions and the Workers’ General Union said that 5.3 million people had taken part in two-hour walkouts, held on the occasion of International Women’s Day. They were aimed at calling attention to sexism, domestic violence, and the gender pay gap. The unions called this “an unprecedented strike in our country’s trade union movement”. The strike was backed by major female politicians, including the female mayors of Madrid and Barcelona. Protesters gathered in major cities including Barcelona, Bilbao, Madrid, Pamplona, and Seville. In other instances, students and protesters demonstrated at universities, and female journalists did not go into studios and newsrooms. In 2017, Spain saw 49 women being killed by current or former partners, up from 44 in 2016. Government data indicates that reports of violent abuse are increasing, going from 129,193 in 2015 to 142,893 in 2016. By the end of September 2017, 125,769 such reports had been registered. A 2017 European Commission report said the gender pay gape had narrowed from 18.1% in 2007 to 14.9% in 2015. A recent Spanish study found that women were, on average, paid 12.7% less for performing the same work as their male coworkers. The strike also aimed to highlight the extent of domestic and care duties women take on, by leaving these for men to perform.