Feminism must engage men, Catalonia's equality minister warns

Ahead of International Women's Day, Catalonia's Minister of Equality and Feminism, Eva Menor, warned that more young men are drifting away from feminism, influenced in part by narratives spread by the far right.

She admitted that feminism has struggled to engage men, describing it as the movement's "great unfinished task." 

Menor pointed to surveys such as the 'Fad Juventud' barometer and a study by the Institute of Political and Social Sciences, which show that many young men deny the existence of inequality, while women are more aware because they experience it directly.

She called for strengthening co-education and creating spaces for dialogue among young people rather than focusing on blame. 

"We need to talk less to young people and let them talk more among themselves," she said, arguing that feminism must better involve men and promote shared responsibility in the fight for equality.

Menor also stressed that gender-based violence remains one of the biggest challenges.

She noted that preventing femicides and ensuring that women seek help continues to be difficult, despite the existence of supporting services.

"Our goal is to eradicate violence, and we haven't achieved that. Many women are left outside the system, and we still haven't managed to get women to see our services as a place to turn to," Menor lamented.

Menor said she remains "moderately optimistic." Studies show that men's awareness of gender inequalities tends to increase with age, suggesting that life experience can help people better recognize discrimination.

Catalonia's equality minister also backed banning prostitution calling it "a form of violence against women", and has also supported prohibiting violent pornography and restricting minors' access to such content.

This year's Catalan government campaign for March 8 commemorates the 50th anniversary of the first Catalan Women's Days.

In 1976, more than 4,000 women gathered at the University of Barcelona to discuss their rights after decades of dictatorship.

Under the slogan "Dreams, like the struggle, come from afar," the campaign honors the generation of women who helped expand women's rights and freedoms.

The campaign aims to highlight that equality is the result of collective struggles and must continue to be defended.