Spain would need 37 years to achieve gender equality

The 1960s seem like a distant time, both in the 20th and 21st centuries. However, gender equality between men and women will not be achieved in Spain until 2062. This is what can be deduced from the fifth edition of the Closingap Index, which shows that the gender gap has closed by 0.8% in the last year . This indicator, which is drawn up from 28 variables that affect employment, education, conciliation, health and digitalisation, stood at 65.7% last year, with 100% being understood as absolute parity. At the rate at which it has been closing in the last five years, it will take 37 more years to end the 34.3% inequality that still exists.

As regards the direct impact on the economy, the index maintains that closing the gap that currently exists only in the labour market would mean an increase of 255.755 billion euros. That is, the equivalent of 17.1% of the GDP of 2023, the year taken as a reference for calculating the economic impact.

During the presentation of the study, Lucila García, general manager of Closingap, highlighted that the index has shown an improvement compared to the previous year, when it only advanced by 0.2%. In four of the five areas to which the 28 variables studied for its composition belong, the gap has been reduced. The negative point is again health and well-being, where it has fallen by 0.2%. “We have consulted other similar indexes in Europe and we have seen that the behaviour is similar. All areas have improved except health,” explained Ana Merino, author of the study and director of strategy and economics at PWC, one of the 14 companies that make up the Closingap association .

Despite the decline in recent years, the health and well-being category is where the index is closest to parity, at 83.7%. The drop is mainly due to two variables: the number of years of good health relative to life expectancy, a variable that penalises women because they tend to live longer, and the greater risk of falling into poverty or social exclusion.

This last point is a consequence of the gap between women and men in employment, where the indicator stands at 68.1%, with a 0.8% improvement compared to 2024. Women have a lower rate of activity, employment and effective hours worked. They work in less productive sectors and with lower salaries, which translates into worse pensions when retirement comes. However, the gaps in pensions, the ratio of salary per hour and the length of the working career have improved. As has the number of people in leadership positions in private companies. In this regard, Merino has shown herself convinced that quotas and legislation on equality have helped to achieve greater female representation in the spheres of business power . Similarly, she has pointed out the fall in women in leadership positions in the General State Administration.

The index's behaviour is similar in the field of education and in that of digitalisation. In the former, parity has been achieved in the rate of tertiary education, school dropouts and continuing adult training. The main difference remains in the presence of women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) careers and training . “This year we have seen that the gap has narrowed, but it has been more because the number of men pursuing these studies has decreased, not because there are more girls ,” Merino pointed out.

As far as digitalisation is concerned, there are several variables that have reached parity, such as daily internet use and online shopping. And there are others, whose data could not be updated this year, that were already quite close, such as digital skills. The main difference is between women who are ICT specialists, which have grown this year, and men who carry out these tasks, who continue to be more.

The last area that makes up the index is conciliation, and it is the one with the greatest difference between men and women, as there is still a gap of 55.6% to close. However, it has improved by 1.3% compared to the previous year. The fact that women continue to spend less time on leisure, take more sick leave, opt to reduce their working hours to a greater extent and spend more hours on unpaid work, among other factors, has an impact on the area of ​​employment and health and well-being. “The mandatory paternity leave helps to close this gap. It is true that the situation is beginning to change, but it is women who are willing to give up their careers. The lower salaries they receive also have an influence, which means that many are better off staying at home than having to pay for care,” said Merino.