Gende Regime Change in
Decen alized S a es: The Case o Spain
Emanuela Lomba do *
1
and Alba Alonso *
2
This a icle applies Walby’s sys emic heo y o gende egime o Spain’s decen al-
ized s a e, o cap u e changes in he gende egime. Loca ing he “hegemon” a
di e en le els o go e nmen o each domain (economy, poli y, iolence, and
ci il socie y) and conside ing in e ac ions be ween go e nmen al le els p o ided a
clea unde s anding o changes in he gende egime. The ela ionship be ween
go e nmen al le el ac ing as hegemon in speci ic domains and a ia ions in poli i-
cal majo i ies ac oss go e nmen al le els explained changes owa d a neolibe al–
conse a i e ype in he economy domain. Shi s owa d a neolibe al gende e-
gime in iolence and poli y, and owa d a conse a i e ype in ci il socie y, we e
con es ed.
In oduc ion
The economic and poli ical esponses o he 2008 c isis ha e ig-
ge ed changes in gende equali y, ins i u ions, and policies in Eu ope (Du bin,
Page, and Walby 2017;Kan ola and Lomba do 2017). Following schola ly
deba es abou gende and poli ics, u he ques ions ha e a isen in an a emp
o explo e he ex en o hese ans o ma ions and hei impac on di e en
Eu opean gende egimes (Walby 2015). The need o unde s and he complex
coe olu ion o gende ela ions in di e en domains in he pos c isis con ex
has become pa amoun .
This a icle aims a con ibu ing o such unde s anding by applying
Walby’s sys emic heo y o gende egime o a decen alized s a e such as
Spain. This equi ed building an analy ical amewo k app op ia e o g asp-
ing he ole o di e en le els o go e nmen (Eu opean Union [EU], s a e-
le el, egional, and local) in in luencing a ia ions in he gende egime.
Spain is an EU Membe S a e ha ea u es a complex ins i u ional se ing,
whe e egions hold ex ensi e compe encies o e key ields, including wel a e
1
Uni e sidad Complu ense de Mad id
2
Uni e sidad de San iago de Compos ela
*[email p o ec ed]; [email p o ec ed]
socpol: Social Poli ics, Fall 2020 pp. 449–466
doi:10.1093/sp/jxaa016
#The Au ho (s) 2020. Published by Ox o d Uni e si y P ess.
This is an Open Access a icle dis ibu ed unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion-
NonComme cial-NoDe i s licence (h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which pe mi s non-com-
me cial ep oduc ion and dis ibu ion o he wo k, in any medium, p o ided he o iginal wo k is no al e ed o
ans o med in any way, and ha he wo k is p ope ly ci ed. Fo comme cial e-use, please con ac
[email p o ec ed]
Social Poli ics 2020 Volume 27 Numbe 3
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and equali y (Alonso and Ve ge 2014). I is, he e o e, a case ha p o ides
sui able empi ical ma e ial o explo ing s uggles o e gende egime change
ha in ol e a a ie y o go e nmen al le els. This s udy in es iga es policy
shi s eshaping gende equali y in domains such as he economy (employ-
men and ca e/wel a e), poli y (poli ical ep esen a ion and gende -equali y
machine y), iolence (gende -based iolence policies), and ci il socie y (sexual
and ep oduc i e igh s), du ing he las wo legisla i e e ms (2011–2018).
1
The analysis o he Spanish case con ibu es o gende egime heo y by
suppo ing sys emic heo ies such as Walby’s (2009) when complemen ed
wi h heo ies ha can explain in ica e p ocesses o change in mul ile el con-
ex s. Exis ing li e a u e on Eu opeaniza ion and ede alism shows ha he
e i o ial dis ibu ion o powe migh a y ac oss domains. Consequen ly,
he go e nmen al le el ha plays he ole o “hegemon” in each domain migh
also di e . Cap u ing he loca ion o he “hegemon” ole o each case allows
a mo e accu a e unde s anding o changes in gende egimes. Schola ly wo ks
aking in o accoun e i o ial complexi y end o ocus ei he on upwa ds o
downwa ds de elopmen s, by analyzing, o example, bila e al p ocesses o in-
luence be ween he EU and Membe S a es. We a gue o he impo ance o
add essing in e ac ions be ween all he di e en le els o go e nmen in each
domain, while conside ing he ole o pa y ideology in explaining esis ance
o backlashes in he gende egime.
We main ain ha a mul i ie ed poli y whe e poli ical majo i ies a ied
ac oss le els o go e nmen in e ac ed o shape he Spanish gende egime.
The pos c isis con ex o EU and s a e-le el poli ical p io i ies helps o unde -
s and how Spain’s gende egime shi ed owa d a mo e neolibe al–conse a-
i e ype h ough p ocesses o Eu opeaniza ion (Lomba do 2017) and s a e
ecen aliza ion jus i ied in he name o aus e i y (Colino 2013). Howe e ,
le -wing egional cabine s and local go e nmen s eme ging om ci il socie y
pla o ms showing a con inued commi men o gende equali y and espon-
si eness o he demands o he eminis mo emen played a key ole in esis -
ing neolibe al–conse a i e changes.
Gende -Regime Change: A F amewo k o Analysis
Unde s anding gende - egime change equi es conside ing a a ie y o
schola ly deba es (Walby 2009,2015;Walby e al. 2007). In his s udy, we
combine sys emic heo ies o gende egimes (Walby 2009,2015) and deba es
ha in eg a e a ie ies o capi alism and gende egimes (Walby e al. 2007)
wi h analy ical insigh s om Eu opeaniza ion and ede alism s udies ha we
deem necessa y o unde s anding changes in mul ile el se ings.
We adop Walby’s sys emic heo y o gende egimes, which has been cen-
al o g asping de elopmen s in he las decade, and sugges a numbe o
e isions necessa y o adap i o decen alized s a es. Walby’s sys emic
450 E. Lomba do and A. Alonso
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concep ualiza ion unde s ands gende egime as “a se o in e - ela ed gen-
de ed social ela ions and gende ed ins i u ions ha cons i u es a sys em”
(Walby 2009, 301). This concep ualiza ion, while main aining he ela ion be-
ween p oduc ion (paid wo k) and ep oduc ion (ca e and domes ic wo k)
ha is cen al in eminis analyses o gende egimes, comp ises o he compo-
nen s ha allow cap u ing he complex coe olu ion o gende ela ions in di -
e en domains and in in e ac ion wi h o he social ela ions.
These o he componen s, which we ely on in ou s udy, include he ou
ins i u ional domains heo ized by Walby (2009,2015) as complex sys ems
ha mu ually coe ol e as a esul o hei in e ac ion: economy, poli y, io-
lence, and ci il socie y. Gende ela ions, in e sec ing wi h o he inequali ies,
a e shaped and ans o med in each o hese domains and in he whole sys em.
Economy includes bo h waged labo and domes ic labo ; poli y includes
s a es, he EU, o ganized eligion, and egions wi h sel -go e ning capaci ies;
iolence e e s o gende -based iolence and i s egula ion; and ci il socie y
e e s o con es a ions ha c ea e meanings h ough collec i e “p ojec s” ha
p o isionally b ing oge he di e en ac o s o ci il socie y a ound pa icula
social goals. Al hough, due o hei in e dependency, changes in one domain
ans o m oppo uni ies o he o he domains, he ime and di ec ion o hei
e olu ion migh di e . The e o e, he esul o change can be a ans o ma ion
in he whole o m o gende egime o only in some domains.
Walby (2009) in eg a es he wo main o ms o class egimes in mode ni y,
ha is he neolibe al and social democ a ic, in he concep ualiza ion o
“public” o ms o gende egime, as opposed o “domes ic o ms.” Bo h a e
poin s on a con inuum whe e he domes ic egime ends o exclude women
om access o employmen , poli ical ep esen a ion, and au onomy. The pub-
lic egime, while allowing women o be p esen in he public sphe e, ends o
seg ega e hem in less powe ul posi ions.
While main aining he public/domes ic o ms heo ized by Walby, we u -
he speci y he o m o gende egimes by including a “conse a i e” o m
heo ized by Shi e and Nemo o (2020), ypical o coun ies wi h au ho i a ian
legacy, such as Spain, ha cap u es s a e policies ha p omo e adi ional gen-
de oles, such as amily and ep oduc ion policies ha ea women only as
mo he s. This allows us o speci y he ideological na u e o egimes ha he
public/domes ic di ide had le unadd essed. We, he e o e, conside policies
ha es ic access o sexual and ep oduc i e igh s as a sign o conse a i e
gende egimes, in o de o cap u e egimes ha migh p omo e women’s em-
ploymen bu no hei sexual and ep oduc i e au onomy.
Ano he impo an concep in ou amewo k ha Walby de elops in he
heo y o gende egimes is ha o “hegemon,” which she concei es as a
“domina ing s a e” o poli y “ ha is able o deploy a ange o o ms o powe
o e many o he coun ies in he con empo a y e a” (2009, 166). Hegemons,
as in he G amscian concep , use a mix o coe cion and consen o domina e
o he poli ies, employing a combina ion o poli ical, economic, social, and
Gende Regime Change in Decen alized S a es 451
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mili a y means. The examples Walby gi es a e hose o he Uni ed S a es and
he EU. Bo h play as hegemons because hey se he ules and change he land-
scape o o he poli ies (2009, 166–69).
Walby’s mac o heo y comp ises sys ems, o ms, domains, and hegemons,
bu does no speci y he ole played by di e en le els o go e nmen .
Howe e , we con end ha applying his amewo k o speci ic con ex s
equi es conside ing he e i o ial complexi y o each poli ical and ins i u-
ional se ing. This implies amending Walby’s heo y as ollows.
Fi s , he concep o hegemon needs o be applied o di e en go e nmen al
le els, because he ole each o hem plays in di e en domains depends on
he e i o ial dis ibu ion o powe . Deba es on he con ibu ion o di e en
le els o go e nmen s o he p omo ion o gende equali y became cen al in
he las decade. Schola ly wo ks shi ed om an exclusi e ocus on he s a e
le el o conside he in luence o EU policies and he ole o egional ins i u-
ions, along wi h gene al analyses o wel a e p o ision. Gende s udies o
Eu opeaniza ion and ede alism a e pa icula ly ele an o cap u e his com-
plexi y, especially when analyzing decen alized s a es ha a e EU membe s
such as Spain. They ha e shown ha concu en p ocesses o uploading and
downloading o me ly s a e-le el powe s ha e shaped he loca ion o key gen-
de -equali y policies and ins i u ions (Alonso 2016;Haussman, Sawe , and
Vicke s 2010;Liebe 2003;Meie 2016).
Accoun ing o his e i o ial complexi y is necessa y, acco ding o us, in
sys emic analyses o gende egimes, due o he explana o y unc ion o le els
o go e nmen o he coe olu ion o , and misma ch be ween, di e en
domains and he sys em as a whole. We conside he ole o go e nmen al le -
els ha beha e as “hegemons” h ough s uc u ing consen as well as employ-
ing coe cion, a ound pa icula “hegemonic p ojec s.” The e o e, in his
a icle, we ex end ou iew beyond he s a e le el o ask speci ically: a which
le el o go e nmen we e signi ican decisions aken abou he ou domains?
Who in luenced (“hegemon”) a ia ions in he gende egime? Wha we e he
main changes du ing he pe iod analyzed?
Second, he in e ac ion o di e en le els o go e nmen needs o be consid-
e ed because i is key o unde s anding change and cap u ing he complexi y
o gende egimes. S udies on Eu opeaniza ion and ede alism show ha
in e ac ions be ween le els o go e nmen can cap u e he changes leading o
hyb id, pa chy, o ansi ioning egimes (Mahon 2006,2007). Te i o ial dy-
namics igge bo h di e en ia ion in he way(s) he EU “hi s home” (McRae
2006) and di e si y among egional wel a e egimes in decen alized coun ies
(Mo eno and McEwen 2005). Acco dingly, we assume ha mul i ie ed poli ies
p o ide g ound o s uggles o e gende egimes ha a e c ucial o unde -
s anding change. Oppo uni y s uc u es a o ded by he women’s mo emen
migh be a ailable a di e en le els (Mahon 2007), hanks o he p esence o
mul ile el pa y sys ems (Kei h and Ve ge 2016).
452 E. Lomba do and A. Alonso
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The concep o “compe i i e ede alism” is pa icula ly help ul o g asp
in e ac ions be ween le els ha explain simila i ies and di e ences in egional
poli ical de elopmen s (Mahon and Collie 2010). I shows how egions, by
compe ing wi h he cen al le el and among each o he , enac emula ion dy-
namics ha migh mi iga e di e en ia ion as gende -equali y policies end o
sp ead ac oss egions. Ne e heless, a my iad o ac o s can ope a e o yield
complex pa e ns o gende egime change a a speci ic ime. The colo o he
pa y in go e nmen is a c ucial explana o y a iable o unde s and he e oge-
neous de elopmen s a a ious le els. Acco dingly, ou analysis inco po a es
ele an ques ions such as: Wha s uggles we e a icula ed in Spain? And
wha al e na i e (wi h espec o cen al go e nmen ) gende -equali y policies
we e p omo ed a he subs a e le els by le -wing cabine s? Fo a comp ehen-
si e unde s anding o changes in he gende egime, we sugges add essing
in e ac ions be ween all ie s o go e nmen , a he han bila e al in e ac ions
such as he EU–Membe S a es o ede al– egional.
The combina ion o heo e ical insigh s om he a o emen ioned deba es
o e s analy ical keys o cap u e a ia ions in he gende egimes and helps us
explain he une en e olu ion o he ou domains in he Spanish pos c isis
gende egime, and he coe olu ion o di e en gende egime ypes a a ious
go e nmen al le els. The pos c isis con ex is a he backg ound o ou s udy,
because aus e i y poli ics enac ed by he EU and he cen al Spanish conse a-
i e go e nmen in esponse o he 2008 economic c isis p omo ed a backlash
agains gende -equali y policies, budge s, and ins i u ions (Paleo and Alonso
2014), and shi s owa d a mo e neolibe al gende egime (Lomba do 2017).
In he nex sec ion, we in oduce his o ic legacies ha a e c ucial o unde -
s and changes in Spain’s gende egime.
The Spanish Gende Regime and Decen aliza ion
Legacies
In his sec ion, we analyze, in ligh o ele an his o ic legacies, which le el
o go e nmen had especially in luenced a ia ions in he Spanish gende e-
gime be o e he economic c isis. In Spain, he p omo ion o gende equali y
and he de elopmen o he “S a e o Au onomies”— ha is he deg ee o e-
gional au onomy wi h espec o he cen al go e nmen —we e ex emely
in e wined. A ede alized ins i u ional se ing, deeply en enched in he EU
poli y, shaped he e olu ion o he gende egime. The cen al go e nmen
pionee ed he c ea ion o he i s equali y machine y and he adop ion o
an idisc imina o y legisla ion a e he ansi ion o democ acy, p essu ed by
Eu opean Communi y 1986 p eaccession condi ions (Lomba do 2004).
A key legacy o he au ho i a ian ep ession o egional a ie y and au on-
omy was he pos -1975 de elopmen o sel -go e ning compe encies. This led
o di e en ia ed pa e ns in wel a e and gende ins i u ionaliza ion, ma ching
Gende Regime Change in Decen alized S a es 453
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egional con ex speci ici ies. The so-called as - ack egions— he i s ones
o ha e access o sel -go e nmen —included execu i e and legisla i e powe s
o e gende -equali y policies in hei egional cons i u ions, along wi h e e -
ences o key a eas o he wel a e s a e. Andalusia, he Basque Coun y, and
Ca alonia se up hei egional equali y bodies in he la e 1980s, a model ha
was eplica ed s a ewide (Bus elo and O bals 2007). The o he egions p o-
g essi ely de eloped oo, ollowing he s ong emula ion pa e ns ha in o m
Spanish compe i i e ede alism (Alonso 2016). Municipali ies used he powe s
o e wel a e policies g an ed by he Law o Local Regime o expand he equal-
i y ins i u ional amewo k o he local le el.
Changes in he poli y domain exempli y he egions’ p ominen ole in ela-
ion o he in oduc ion o legisla i e gende quo as. The egional pa liamen s
o he Balea ic Islands and Cas ile-La Mancha pionee ed he in oduc ion o
quo as in he elec o al laws, while he Basque Coun y pu o wa d a ge s o
ensu ing gende -balanced cabine s (Alonso and Ve ge 2014). Despi e he ini-
ial opposi ion om he Popula Pa y (PP), compulso y elec o al quo as
we e inally in oduced in he 2007 Equali y Ac unde Zapa e o’s socialis
cen al cabine . This ga e impulse o a signi ican inc ease in he numbe s o
emale ep esen a i es in he ins i u ions a di e en le els o go e nmen : by
2019, 44 pe cen o Depu ies
2
, 38.8 pe cen o Sena o s
3
, 46.3 pe cen o e-
gional MPs; and 35.6 pe cen o local councilo s we e women.
4
The ole o compe i i e ede alism in he in oduc ion o gende quo as
was suppo ed by oppo uni ies opened by le -wing pa y ideology,
Eu opeaniza ion, and he mul ile el pa y sys em. Feminis s wi hin le -wing
pa ies— he Socialis Pa y (PSOE, Pa ido Socialis a Ob e o Espa~
nol), he
Communis Pa y (PCE, Pa ido Comunis a Espa~
nol), and Uni ed Le (IU,
Izquie da Unida)—we e c i ical ac o s in he in oduc ion o olun a y pa y
quo as. Eu opeaniza ion p o ided “c oss-loading” esou ces o policy ans e
h ough lea ning om o he Eu opean coun ies’ and pa ies’ expe iences.
The PSC (Pa ido Socialis a de Ca alu~
na), he Ca alan sec ion o he Socialis
Pa y, in oduced in 1982 a 12 pe cen quo a o pa y and elec ed o ices o
women hanks o he ac ion o pa y eminis s inspi ed by a simila measu e
adop ed by he F ench Pa i Socialis e (Ve ge and Lomba do, 2018).
In he economy, he cen al go e nmen holds exclusi e powe s o e he
egula ion o he labo ma ke , social secu i y, and public pension
schemes, always wi hin he amewo k o economic pa ame e s se a he
EU le el o Eu ozone membe s. The Spanish wel a e egime is conside ed
pa o he Medi e anean ype, a ia media be ween conse a i e, social
democ a ic, and libe al ypes. This is because i mixes conse a i e ele-
men s o amilism, ano he key legacy o he au ho i a ian pe iod, whe eby
hemainweigh o ca e o child en,elde ly, and dependan s is a ibu ed
owomenwi hin he amily,wi hsocial democ a ic uni e sal access o
heal h and educa ion, and libe al means- es ed bene i s (Del Pino 2013).
The Spanish egions showed willingness o play a c ucial ole in he
454 E. Lomba do and A. Alonso
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de elopmen o he wel a e s a e (Mo eno and McEwen 2005). The as -
ack egions pionee ed he in oduc ion o policies on childca e, social in-
clusion, o minimum income ha we e eplica ed in o he e i o ies
(Subi a s 2005). They also ini ia ed he adop ion o legisla i e and execu-
i e compe encies o e heal hca e, educa ion, and social se ices g an ed
by he Cons i u ion. The ca ching-up a i ude o he slow- ack egions
gene alized hismodelandshapedadeeply decen alized wel a e s a e
(Mo eno and T elles 2005).
The domain o iolence ep oduced simila decen alized pa e ns. The
cen al go e nmen issued impo an legisla ion o e adica e iolence
agains women which a ec ed he penal code, such as Ac 1/2004. Howe e ,
he implemen a ion o a comp ehensi e app oach equi ed coo dina ion
wi h egional ins i u ions. Thei compe encies on wel a e, and in some
cases, he police and he judicia y, made egions c i ical ins i u ions o en-
su ing an e ec i e in e en ion (Alonso and Ve ge 2014). Mo eo e , e-
gional go e nmen s passed hei own laws, plans, and p o ocols, which
su passed in some espec s he s a ewide legal amewo k ha ocused on
in apa ne ship iolence. Compe i i e ede alism encou aged he e he de-
elopmen o policies o add ess o he ypes o iolence such as emale geni-
al mu ila ion. The EU p omo ed women’s mobiliza ion in his domain
h ough unding p og ams on iolence such as Daphne (Lomba do 2004).
Te i o ial dynamics had analogous e ec s in he ci il socie y domain. Ci il
socie y’s con es a ions o e he meaning o gende equali y in Spain ouched
upon many di e en issues. Women’s access o sexual and ep oduc i e igh s
is one o he key issues in luencing women’s au onomy, aising hea ed
deba es, and helping o classi y a gende egime as conse a i e in case o lim-
i ed au onomy (Shi e and Nemo o 2020). We, he e o e, analyze his domain
by ocusing on he s uggles a ound his opic. Basic ep oduc i e igh s had
long been egula ed in he penal code, a ma e o exclusi e compe ence o he
cen al s a e. Ye , he ole o egional go e nmen s in heal hca e, educa ion, o
amily policies allowed decen alized policies in his a ea o be de eloped. The
esul was he adop ion o di e ging app oaches, anging om hose ocused
on p o ec ing he emb yo o hose aiming a gua an eeing women’s au onomy
(Alonso and Paleo 2017).
P ec isis de elopmen s in he ou domains show ha he p edominance
o a model based on concu en compe encies and emula ion p ocesses gene -
a ed a “ ace o he op” e ec . This, along wi h he in luence o he EU acquis,
bene i ed he p omo ion o gende equali y and he e olu ion owa d a public
gende egime in Spain (Lomba do 2017). Ne e heless, he leading ole o
le -wing pa ies, oge he wi h o he ac o s, explains ele an a ia ions in e-
gional equali y amewo ks. In he ollowing sec ion, we analyze how he pos -
c isis con ex a ec ed pa e ns o in e ac ion be ween go e nmen al le els,
p omo ing changes in he gende egime.
Gende Regime Change in Decen alized S a es 455
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S uggles o e he Gende Regime in Mul i-Go e ned
Spain
Economy
In 2011–2018, he e we e deep changes in e i o ial dynamics as compa ed
o he p ec isis pe iod, which signaled a ecen aliza ion p ocess. The EU,
h ough Spain’s cen al go e nmen , played he hegemon’s ole in he domain
o he economy because he main economic compe encies belong o hose le -
els. In esponse o he economic c isis, he EU demanded om Spain a s ic
con ol o public expendi u e g ow h and a neolibe al p og am o policy and
labo ma ke de egula ion (Council o he Eu opean Union 2012). The cen al
go e nmen en o ced his EU neolibe al p ojec h ough a p ocess o ecen-
aliza ion ha su passed poli ical ideology. Neolibe al and ecen aliza ion
a ge s we e in line wi h he ideology o he PP cen al go e nmen , uling
om 2011 o 2018, hough he o me PSOE go e nmen had os e ed cen-
aliza ion oo h ough a e o m o he Cons i u ion in 2011 o mee he EU
iscal a ge s.
Re o ms o limi egional sel -go e ning capaci ies we e no new in Spain
(Ma´iz, Caama~
no, and Azpi a e 2010), bu he c isis ga e ecen aliza ion a
neolibe al di ec ion de imen al o gende policies. The 2011–2018 PP cabine
“disciplined” egional ins i u ions (Colino 2013) h ough Ac 2/2012 on
Budge a y S abili y and Financial Sus ainabili y, which cu ailed hei al eady
limi ed inancial au onomy—wi h he excep ion o he Basque Coun y and
Na a e ha enjoy hei own iscal egime— o en o ce EU aus e i y policies
h oughou he coun y. Pa allel o his, i legisla ed in key wel a e a eas o e-
gional compe ence, while b inging policies adop ed by se e al subs a e ins i u-
ions be o e he Cons i u ional Cou . This body e lec ed he conse a i e
p edominance and o en uled in a o o limi ing decen alized powe s. As a
esul , measu es conce ning social housing o uni e sal heal hca e we e sus-
pended and he Spanish wel a e s a e expe ienced a se e e e enchmen (Del
Pino 2013).
The join ac ion o he EU and cen al go e nmen pushed he coun y o-
wa d a neolibe al gende egime (Lomba do 2017). The main indica o s o
his shi we e in he a eas o employmen and ca e, wel a e, and gende -
equali y policies. These included an inc ease o women’s unemploymen (27.2
pe cen in 2013, while he EU-28 igu e was 11 pe cen , S a is ical O ice o
he Eu opean Communi ies 2013), a wo sening o wo king condi ions o
women and ising po e y,
5
and a subs an ial dec ease in he go e nmen ’s
budge dedica ed o gende -equali y policies a all go e nmen al le els (Paleo
and Alonso 2014). The eplacemen o e i ed ci il se an s was se e ely e-
s ic ed and no ms we e issued o p e en he ena ionaliza ion o o me ly
p i a ized se ices.
Mo eo e , he conse a i e go e nmen p omo ed he neolibe aliza ion o
he gende egime h ough budge cu s in he wel a e s a e, p i a iza ions, and
456 E. Lomba do and A. Alonso
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a acks o he uni e sali y o he public heal h sys em by excluding o eigne s
wi hou a egula esidence pe mi om he Na ional Heal h Se ices, excep
o u gen cases, and in oducing ci izens’ copaymen o medicines and heal h
se ices. Public ca e se ices we e disman led, p i a ized, o no implemen ed.
Budge cu s in he Dependency Law since 2010 educed inancial s a e suppo
o people ca ing o elde ly o dependen ela i es, hus inc easing he s ain
on (p edominan ly women) ca e s. In childca e, budge cu s esul ed in
“inc eases in child- o-adul a ios and ees, and he wo sening o s a wo king
condi ions” (Iba´~
nez and Leo´n 2014, 9).
The Spanish egions had compe ency in he de elopmen o wel a e poli-
cies. Howe e , se e e budge es ic ions by he cen al go e nmen hea ily
limi ed sel -go e nmen in his ealm. Conce ning he local le el, Law 27/2013
o “ a ionaliza ion and sus ainabili y o local adminis a ion” es ic ed he
au onomy o local go e nmen s and limi ed hei abili y o in es in wel a e
and ca e p o ision. To implemen a neolibe al app oach in municipali ies, he
conse a i e cen al go e nmen issued legisla ion ha hinde ed he capaci y
o ena ionalize public se ices ha had been p i a ized.
While da a show ha he gende egime a he cen al le el was mo e neo-
libe al han be o e he c isis, he change owa d a mo e domes ic gende e-
gime did no occu , as he high women’s ac i i y a e shows (53.3 pe cen ,
INE Ma ch 2018). Howe e , i EU and Spain’s go e nmen policies con inue
his pa h o neolibe aliza ion, his could change he gende egime o neolib-
e al–domes ic.
The s uggles o an i-aus e i y eminis and social mo emen s and al e na-
i e policies p omo ed by local and egional le -wing and coali ion go e n-
men s o e ed an al e na i e o bo h neolibe alism and ecen aliza ion.
Spanish ci il socie y mobilized mo e in ensi ely since 2011 agains he PP’s
aus e i y measu es o de end labo igh s, public heal h, housing, public edu-
ca ion, and gende -equali y policies. Gaining momen um in he Indignados
social mo emen , ci il socie y s uggles p oposed al e na i e social democ a ic
p ojec s by p e en ing he p i a iza ion o public hospi als and he e ic ion o
amilies om hei homes (Cal o 2013). The eminis mo emen was ac i e
bo h in he an i-aus e i y social mo emen and in i s own s uggles o gende
equali y. G oups such as Las Kellys domes ic wo ke s o Cuidado as de Bizkaia
ca e s exposed he gende ed e ec s o he neolibe al Labou Re o m which
made eminized wo k e en mo e p eca ious. The eminis mo emen o ga-
nized massi e p o es s on Ma ch 8, 2018 wi h a women’s gene al s ike, in-
spi ing millions o women o go on s ike om wo k, ca e, s udy, and
consump ion, o demand e ec i e gende equali y in all sphe es.
A he ins i u ional le el, 2015 elec ions ga e powe o le -wing egional
go e nmen s and local councils wi h coali ion go e nmen s, and also led o
he elec ion o emale le is mayo s om ci il socie y bo h in Mad id and
Ba celona. These subs a e go e nmen s implemen ed an an i-aus e i y social
democ a ic agenda ha ena ionalized local public se ices and inc eased
Gende Regime Change in Decen alized S a es 457
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in o ma ion see h ps://www. esea chga e.ne /p o ile/Emanuela_Lomba do;
Resea che ID: W-4938-2017.
Alba Alonso is Lec u e a he Depa men o Poli ical Science and Sociology
o he Uni e si y o San iago de Compos ela (Spain). He main esea ch a eas e-
e o gende and poli ics, e i o ial poli ics, and public policies. He wo k has
been published in Gende & Poli ics, Poli ics and Go e nance, Social Poli ics,
Eu opean Jou nal o Women’s S udies, Eu opean Poli ical Science, and in collec i e
books like he Handbook on Gende , Di e si y and Fede alism edi ed by Jill
Vicke s, Joan G ace and Che yl Collie (Edwa d Elga Publishing, o hcoming).
1. The Spanish poli ical con ex is unde going changes ha will a ec he
gende egime. The 2019 gene al elec ions show he ic o y o he socialis
pa y (28.7 pe cen ) and he en y o Vox populis adical igh pa y
(10.3 pe cen ) in Pa liamen . These de elopmen s, oge he wi h esul s
o poli ical pac s ollowing local and gene al elec ions, will be conside ed
in u u e esea ch.
2. h p://www.cong eso.es/po al/page/po al/Cong eso/Cong eso/
Dipu ados/Dipu adas%20en%20ac i o
3. h p://www.senado.es/web/conoce senado/ emascla e/p esenciamuje es/
lis asenado as/index.h ml
4. h ps://eige.eu opa.eu/gende -s a is ics/dgs/b owse/wmidm/wmidm_pol/
wmidm_pol_pa l
5. The Labou Re o m inc eased employe s’ oppo uni ies o i e employees,
especially in women-domina ed con ac s, and limi ed wo ke s’ ca e
igh s.
6. h ps://cedawsomb aesp.wo dp ess.com/ (accessed 5/3/2020).
7. h ps://pla a o ma7n.wo dp ess.com (accessed 5/3/2020).
8. h ps://www.eldia io.es/sociedad/muje es-Pue a-Sol- inalizan-hamb e_
0_619789259.h ml (accessed 5/3/2020).
9. h ps://elpais.com/ ag/caso_juana_ i as/a/ (accessed 5/3/2020).
Acknowledgmen s
We wish o hank he edi o s o he special sec ion Va ie ies o Gende Regimes,
Syl ia Walby and Ka en Shi e, o hei cons uc i e commen s and in i a ion o he
wo kshop a Ci y, Uni e si y o London June 7, 2019, as well as all pa icipan s o in-
spi ing deba es, and anonymous e iewe s o hei help ul e alua ions. Resea ch o
his a icle has been unded by he Spanish Minis y o Resea ch h ough he
UNIGUAL P ojec (Re : Fem2017-86004-R).
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