Gender roles in Spain have fascinated me for years – especially with regard to the catalogue of changes women have experienced since the end of the Franco regime in 1975.
This removed many obstacles for women who were supressed by the regime, not allowed to manage their own affairs, and treated as men’s property.
Modernisation continued – but legislation and reality don’t always meld.
Observations on ‘how things are today for women’ have arisen from life as a female ‘guiri’ in a rural location for several years.
I first arrived as a naïve newbie from Brighton, to the spa town of Lanjaron (Granada). Speaking no Spanish led to not understanding the prevailing social mores.
In Brighton, with hen night culture, a vibrant scene for every LGBTQ+ persuasion, and huge DJ events on the beach, there was no element of ‘women should be at home mopping and laundering’.
Men changed nappies and stayed at home, while the girls went out for cocktails and clubbing. Leery, ladette culture prevailed.
Moving to La Alpujarra, as a single mother, was something of a culture shock. That went both ways (shocking everyone else, and yourself!). Being a person who likes to observe, it’s great to see traditional Spanish culture – sometimes, but not when you’re on the sharp end of it!
Fast forwards two decades. So what is new?
Men rising – again?
Being something of a feminist (‘only when it suits you’, quipped a male bar proprietor), I recently saw an advert for a retreat day, called ‘Men Rising.’
The ad used AI to create a retro, Ladybird Book-style image. Several men were standing heroically on rocks, arms stretched upwards toward the heavens, gazing thoughtfully into the void.
Perhaps the men weren’t just gathering for a day of personal reflection – they were ascending (more on this later!). And do they get the beers out after the activities? Or during? Is it inevitable?
The name wasn’t meant to provoke giggling. And, yes, maybe I am very childish. But ‘Men Rising’ is ironic, as men have historically spent centuries rising – occasionally in more ways than one. Finbarr Saunders, double entendre.
Still, personal growth in a Patriarchal society is no laughing matter. If men wish to stand on rocks, commune with the universe, and resolve their issues, that is commendable.
Especially in an age where some famous ‘influencers’ try to ‘red pill’ others into being sexist and derogatory towards women.
The internet presents the ‘manosphere’ and ‘incel’ culture. This faces adolescent males, who are trying to find their way in life. Social platforms have algorithms that like to push this content at teens. (For an amusing take on this topic, I recommend watching Alpha Males on Netflix. It is laugh-out-load funny.)
These important themes reinforce the question of why International Women’s Day – celebrated every March 8 – remains so important. This is especially true in rural Andalucia, which is (allegedly) behind the larger cities re women’s rights, and has its own women’s support association, called AFAMMER.
The reason for International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day grew out of the early 20th-century labour movement, when women across Europe and North America organised protests for voting rights, fair pay, and safer working conditions.
This year, March 8 marks the 112th International Woman’s Day. Celebrations around the world take different forms.
In 1910, the German activist, Clara Zetkin, proposed an annual Women’s Day at a conference in Copenhagen, to campaign for women’s suffrage and equality. The first event was held on 19 March, 1911, and over one million people marked it by demanding equal rights for women to work, vote, and run for office.
The movement spread to Russia during World War I, but the UN didn’t officially recognise the holiday until 1975. The date was set on March 8, partly because protests by Russian women in 1917 helped spark the revolution that toppled the Tsar. The United Nations formally recognised the day in 1977.
Over 25 countries now officially recognize International Women’s Day as a public holiday. Some cities in Spain have a whole ‘Women’s Week’ to mark the event.
The reality behind the statistics
Spain today looks relatively progressive on paper. Women hold 44% of seats in the national parliament, and the gender pay gap had narrowed to around 9–10% in 2022. However, this took a turn for the worse in 2025, when it became 12.9%.
Also, the latest statistics coexist with older habits.
According to Spain’s National Statistics Institute, more than 34,000 women were recorded as victims of gender-based violence in 2024, while every year dozens of women are killed by current or former partners.
Spain has responded with one of Europe’s most comprehensive monitoring systems. Introduced in 2007, the VioGén system – Sistema de Seguimiento Integral en los casos de Violencia de Género – coordinates police, courts and social services to track suspected abusers and protect victims. Today, it monitors well over 100,000 active cases.
There’s also the 016 helpline, a confidential national number for victims of domestic violence that doesn’t show on phone bills, along with emergency apps allowing people to contact police quickly.
Modern Spain – for sure – takes the issue of gender violence very seriously.
Yet everyday social life can sometimes feel slightly behind the legislation.
Machismo in everyday life
Some people who have spent time in a rural village – perhaps in a remote corner of Andalucia – will see how modernisation hasn’t quite reached the village bar.
Men gather over beers while women organise the household. Meals appear for returning hubby, as if by magic, and using natural ingredients. Children are prepared for bedtime and school.
The house continues functioning while the male develops an urgent need to discuss something extremely important over a ‘vino’ (or four).
Being both female and a ‘guiri’ – raised with different values- can add an extra layer to the mix Like mixing oil with water. Sometimes, the local women might side with the men, out of tradition/habit/other reasons of multiple origins.
At one memorable village barbeque, a normally pleasant woman loudly suggested that I should have ‘chosen a different village’ (any village – like far far away!).
When asked calmly whether the comment was intended as racist, the lady quickly said ‘no’. The main issue (on this occasion) seemed to be appearing at the event reasonably sober, while everyone else had imbibed all the free beer and wine. This was definitely eye-opening!
Some of the men (maybe from out of town) had controversial views on acceptable behaviour towards women, but had never heard of the Wolf Pack (‘La Manada’). When questioned about this famous case, they found a new person to bother.
At another public event, there were comments that ‘the wine is not for you’.
In fairness, being foreign is just part of the equation. Being a mouthy woman appears to be another. In the Franco era, you would be fed castor oil and paraded through the streets. Not just quietly encourage more people to support Vox!
Rural Spain has a complicated relationship with women who express strong opinions, drink with enthusiasm, or decline to adopt the traditional supporting role (to the men).
There is also the vow of silence – ‘never raise your voice to a man!’ (real-life comment).
The mysterious disappearance to ‘tend goats’ – with phones off
I have seen things that would be grounds for divorce in Inglaterra!
There have been occasions, for example, when a group of local men have abruptly disappeared, leaving the females sitting around looking confused (although some wives are used to this habit and/or glad to get rid of hubby).
Suddenly, you will find the men’s phones switched off, vehicles gone – poof! Everyone disappeared into thin air.
The men will, invariably, say they are ‘tending goats’ in a ‘no signal area’. In reality, they are eating the goat, and washing it down with wine and whisky. Urrrr no, the pesky ‘hembras’ – turn off the phone!
They once left me sitting on my own with a roast chicken – an upsetting experience at the time! A life lesson in choosing friends who do not come from the neanderthal era, and pat their backs about evading ‘las hembras’.
If a wife or girlfriend successfully connects on the phone, the assembled men will fall silent while the husband explains about the vital job they are doing. Bricks, tubes, goats, grapes. Then, the clinking of glasses will continue (sometimes before the call is even finished!). I have seen this at first hand.
There was also a ‘family barbeque’ – with no visible food and the men all hammered by 6pm. One attendee had left a pregnant partner at home. I bet she was delighted when he turned up at 4am with whisky breath, slurring about goats!
In many villages, patriarchal values prevail. And in many cases, men socialise solo. Women manage the consequences.
To be fair, equality laws in Spain are amongst the strongest in Europe, and things are changing. Younger Spanish men go out with their girlfriends instead of just in groups. They are more involved in childcare and domestic chores than previous generations, and might know how to tun on the washing machine.
Even middle aged couples hang out together in the village bar. However, with the real old timers, you have not seen their wives in a decade! Where are they? Do they fossilise over a sink somewhere?
Rising, ascending… and the internet’s version of masculinity
The imagery of men rising or ascending has increased online in recent years. Large sections of the ‘manosphere’ have built philosophies that men must reclaim their natural position at the top of the chain.
High value men. Low value women. ‘Body counts’. Woman stays at home, only going out to clubs with her man. Sound familiar? 50’s Spain.
The vision tends to involve women being housewives, raising children, maintaining immaculate kitchens, and generally supporting the male quest for dominance. Ascending to assume their ‘birth right’.
Some of this rhetoric derives from the recent history of ‘red-pilled’ influencers, with figures like Andrew Tate having spawned the culture of toxic masculinity – being pushed at teenagers online. This is unhelpful in a country already counteracting ‘machismo’.
Although Spain hasn’t embraced the extreme edges of ‘red-pilling’, or the ‘manosphere’, like the United States, it has an impact on adolescents. I have heard comments about almost ‘trad wives’ and ‘body counts’ and how ‘degenerate’ we were in the 1990s. The Spanish Catholic model of marrying young and having a family straight away is mooted as appealing.
In the author’s experience, Spain has its fair share of angry young men who feel disenfranchised – saying there’s no focus on their particular issues. In today’s society. It is all about ‘other groups’ and their needs.
So – are the men still rising?
This brings us back to the topic of Men Rising. Perhaps that particular retreat – a small step in personal reflection – will be a resounding success (we hope so).
Dozens of men will reflect on masculinity, their effect on women since the dawn of time, and explore new forms of emotional awareness. Perhaps this general theme should be added to the Spanish school syllabus, along with ‘how the dishwasher works’.
All women are different. I think the key issue is respect. Others might want funds and ‘fincas’. Gender equality can start by removing the stinky socks, sharing the washing-up, hanging the laundry, taking equal responsibility at home, and not disappearing to mysterious soirees involving fake goat husbandry.
Until then, International Women’s Day remains useful – in rural Andalucia, Spain, and the wider world.
Not because women need a special day. But because men have done ever so well re the other 364 days of the year!
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
