Gender Mainstreaming in Barcelona
Barcelona is a trailblazer in gender mainstreaming at the municipal level – applying a feminist lens to over 400 policies and programs that touch upon everything from culture, economy, health, and urban planning. In the city’s first Gender Justice Strategy under Mayor Colau, Barcelona pioneered innovative policies to advance gender equity and reduce poverty amongst women.
Now the next generation of the Gender Justice Strategy seeks to capitalize on previous successes and continue building a feminist city. The new strategy, set to roll out between 2021 – 2025, focuses on adapting institutions and systems that enable gender mainstreaming, supporting women’s economic empowerment, making caregiving equitable, ensuring social and political participation of women, tackling violence against women and girls, ending toxic masculinity, and building sustainable neighborhoods by bringing a gender lens to urban planning.
In her presentation at the CHANGE 2022 summit, Sonia Ruiz García, Director of Gender Services and Time Policies in Barcelona, explores the essential ingredients of a successful gender mainstreaming strategy. From political will and robust regulatory frameworks, professionalization and capacity building in City Hall, Barcelona shares how it is striving to overhaul urban systems that haven’t previously delivered for women.
CHANGE 