Equality in Europe: Irene Montero's counterparts do not need a ministry

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"Today the Equality Ministers in Europe have met and I have asked for an alliance of all countries to guarantee the human rights of women," Irene Montero said on November 20 on her Twitter account.

The Minister of Equality of Spain wanted to record in this way the meeting via videoconference that she held

last Friday the 20th. She attached a video in which she left herself during her speech while

After malicious memes circulated on the networks pointing to the possibility that the minister was alone at that meeting.

A fact that has been denied not only by her but also by means that carry out

, that is, they verify news. However, the debate arose around the idea that in Europe Irene Montero did not have counterparts in the strictest sense of the word, that is, ministers who hold the Equality portfolio exclusively.

Indeed, in Europe

But, is a ministry dedicated entirely to this, as is the case in Spain? If the information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Spain is observed in which the Executives of the Member States are detailed, it is extracted that the Equality holders depend from other ministries or

For example, the person in charge of this task in Germany is Franziska Giffey.

The German minister holds the portfolio of Family, Seniors, Women and Youth, that is, she covers more areas than Montero in matters such as caring for the elderly and the salaries that are allocated to them.

Taina Bofferding, from Luxembourg, also attending the meeting of European Equality heads,

In France, Élisabeth Moreno, is responsible for Gender Equality and opportunities.

She is a delegate minister, that is, her work depends on Prime Minister Jean Castex, so although she exercises an independent task,

Her position would be somewhere between that of a minister and a secretary of state.As for the Nordic countries, examples and role models in almost all social (and economic) issues, in Sweden, Åsa Lindhagen is the head of Equality and is It is also responsible for fighting discrimination and segregation.

In Denmark,

It is the Minister of Employment who also deals with Gender Equality.

In Finland, Thomas Blomqvist is the Minister for Nordic Cooperation and Equality.

For his part, Roderic O'Gorman is the Irish Minister for Children, Handicaps, Equality and Integration.

CREATION OF THE MINISTRY

In Spain, the Ministry of Equality obtained for the first time its own entity from the hand of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero in 2008, who granted this portfolio to

Bibiana Aido

.

In October 2010, with the economic crisis at one of its most accentuated points, there was a reshuffle in the Government that led to the integration of the Ministry of Equality into the Ministry of Health and Social Policy led by Leire Pajín.

Aido then went on to become Secretary of State for Equality.

Until 2020, the year in which Equality policies have returned to occupy a ministry under the mandate of

Irene Montero

.

The importance of this matter was thus restored to the Executive formed by the PSOE coalition and United We Can.

Total,

22 ministries with some unpublished portfolio such as Consumption

, leadered by

Alberto Garzon

However, although the figure of Irene Montero reinforces the Equality policies under the weight of a ministry, its work has raised some suspicions even among those who support the institutional policies that are carried out from Equality.

For example, a gap has been opened in the "traditional" feminism of the PSOE embodied in figures such as

Carmen Calvo

and the most avant-garde led by Irene Montero herself on issues such as gender identity.

Another issue of greatest concern is the abolition of prostitution.

Numerous feminist voices have asked Irene Montero

to speed up its management in this regard.

Nor was the report by the Women's Institute on sexism in toy advertising, which pointed out the idea that "the color pink oppresses and represses girls as seen in many advertisements and catalogs" was not praised.

Its director, Beatriz Gimeno, also

sent a letter to a toy company

that according to his criteria, fostered the traditional roles in which the girl is represented as a princess and the boy as a superhero.

EXPENSES ON ADVICE

However, and above all, the magnifying glass has been placed on spending on issues such as consulting within the ministry that Montero runs.

This month the expenses related to counseling from the ministries were announced.

Specifically, Equality spending in this area amounts to 476,449 euros.

In response to questions from other parliamentary forces, the Ministry of

Montero realized who are the trusted people

who work with it and what are their remuneration.

In this case, it is a total of nine advisers.

Each of them receives a salary of 51,946 euros, while the Director of the Cabinet of the Secretary of State is the Equality Advisor with the highest salary, 60,881 euros per year. On the other hand, Boti García, general director of Sexual Diversity and Rights LGTBI and his ex-wife, the aforementioned

Beatriz Gimeno

, director of the Institute for Women, both positions dependent on the Ministry of Equality, receive a salary of

about 80,000-90,000 euros.

In the next PGE, 451 million will go to the Equality portfolio, an increase of 157%

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