Spain's new female-dominated government has just made history
Spain's new government has only just been sworn in, but it's already made history. That's because the women in this cabinet outnumber the men.
King Felipe VI of Spain swore in the new government on Thursday, with women occupying 11 of the 17 cabinet posts.
That equates to 61.1 percent women—the highest proportion of women in government since the country became a democracy in 1978.
So, how does Spain's new government compare to that of other countries? In the UK, there are currently six women in cabinet positions — and this figure includes Prime Minister Theresa May — which amounts to a mere 26 percent of the 23 existing positions.
In 2015, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau unveiled a gender equal cabinet which numbered 15 men and 15 women, and thus, 50 percent women. In the U.S., President Trump's cabinet is composed of 19 men and five women— so, 33 percent.
The key ministerial positions — including justice, education, defence, and justice — are occupied by women in Spain's new cabinet.
Nadia Calviño is now economy minister; Dolores Delgado is now justice minister; María Jesús Montero is now finance minister, Isabel Celáa is now education minister; and Margarita Robles is now defence minister.
One of the biggest jobs, the BBC reports, has gone to Carmen Calvo -- "a Socialist who will become deputy prime minister and take charge of a reinstated equality ministry."
Good work, Spain.
Topics Politics
Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.
A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.
Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.
