Combating gender discrimination and inequality is a key aspect in continuing to build an open and free feminist city. To carry on with the process of social transformation and make participation a part of it, the next Gender Justice Plan will gather ideas and proposals from the public, particularly women and LGBTI people.

How can you take part?

Four online sessions will be held between now and mid-June, with participants outlining and debating initiatives focusing on different areas. All you need to do to take part is sign up using the form on the website decidim.barcelona:

• Session 1. “Leaving nobody behind: feminist economic policies in the face of Covid-19” (26 May, 4 pm to 6 pm).
• Session 2. “A voice and a presence in municipal policies: how do we get gender to intersect with all spheres?” (31 May, 4 pm to 6 pm).
• Session 3. “Towards a city which guarantees rights: culture, memory, education and science” (1 June, 4 pm to 6 pm).
• Session 4. “Urban planning and housing: urban spaces which put life at the centre and are fairer, safer and more sustainable” (15 June, 4 pm to 6 pm).

After the four sessions have been held, a final on-site session (with limited capacity) will be held on 22 June, to gather conclusions and round off the first stage to collect proposals.

Initiatives can also be presented directly via the participatory process open on decidim.barcelona.

Balance of the Gender Justice Plan 2016-2020

The new strategy resulting from the participatory process will provide continuity for the Gender Justice Plan for 2016-2020. Over the last five years this key tool has enabled 471 measures to be implemented to promote gender equality and equity and combat inequality and discrimination, representing 80.6% of the 585 actions planned.

In addition, since the plan was launched, the budget for fighting gender inequality has doubled: in 2020 the amount was nearly 650 million euros, with 92% of municipal regulations incorporating the gender perspective, some 42% more than in 2016.

By area, notable efforts have been made to put care work at the centre, with co-responsibility initiatives through the government measure to democratise care work, the Concilia child-minding service and the creation of the Vila Veïna community care project. Efforts have also gone into protecting the rights of care workers, with the creation of the guidance facility Barcelona Cuida.

In terms of housing, the number of publicly owned rental flats assigned to women is up by 6%, rising to over 55% of the total, while the capacity to provide shelter to women who suffer male violence has also been increased, with the number of places almost doubling from 126 to 244.

The last five years have also seen an increase in the budget for support services for people who experience male violence, such as the Care, Recovery and Shelter Service (SARA) for women and children, Women’s Support and Information Points (PIAD) and the Men’s Support Service (SAH). In addition, to prevent the appearance of sexist attitudes and behaviour in education, awareness programmes have been carried out in over a hundred city schools.

Urban planning with the gender perspective is an important way of improving safety in public space and designing urban transformation policies which take into account the diversity of people who live side by side in the city. Exploratory walks organised in recent years have helped detect and correct points in the city which generated unsafe situations, such as improvements to lighting in dark spaces. In this respect, the gender perspective has also been a factor in the Urban Mobility Plan 2019-2024, and a gender analysis has been made of the industrial estates next to the Besòs river.