Spain

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Spain, faithful to its commitment to the promotion of gender equality and the eradication of any form of employment discrimination, has adopted significant reforms and measures in recent years, which reflect our unwavering desire to move towards equal pay.

• Royal Decree-Law 6/2019, on urgent measures to guarantee equal treatment and opportunities between women and men in employment and occupation. Paternity leave is extended, equating it to maternity leave (the duration of the leave for both is 16 weeks, and is non-transferable) and conciliation measures are reinforced, recognizing the right of workers to request adaptations of their work from the company. the duration and distribution of the working day, in the organization of working time and in the form of benefits, including the provision of remote work, to make effective their right to reconcile family and work life.

• Royal Decree 901 and 902 of 2020. Royal Decree 901/2020 establishes a framework for companies to implement equality plans with clear objectives and specific measures to guarantee equal treatment and opportunities between women and men in the company. Royal Decree 902/2020 on equal pay between women and men establishes specific measures to guarantee equal remuneration for work of equal value, developing the principles of salary transparency and equal remuneration for work of equal value.

• Strategic Plan of the Labor and Social Security Inspection 2021-2023: achieving full equality between men and women in employment matters and combating discrimination, particularly wage discrimination, is one of the priority objectives of the Labor and Social Security Inspection. Social Security. To achieve this, specific campaigns have been implemented on salary discrimination and the State Office to Combat Discrimination has been created, which will coordinate actions on equality at the national level, and ensure that the principle of equality has a transversal dimension. .

• Salary increase policies to tackle inequality: in 2024, the minimum interprofessional salary (SMI) in Spain has increased by 5%. Since 2018, the SMI has increased by 54%. This measure has extraordinary effects in the fight against inequality, and, specifically, in reducing the gender wage gap, since it is working women who receive, in a greater proportion, in SMI in our country.

• Labor reform of 2021: the reform incorporates the gender perspective, overcoming the deficiencies caused by the abusive and unjustified use of temporary employment in hiring and subcontracting, which generate social precariousness in workers, but, especially, in women and youths.

• Royal Decree-Law 16/2022, to improve the working and Social Security conditions of domestic workers. This group employs 600,000 people in Spain, the vast majority of them women. Among other measures, the right to unemployment benefits is recognized. The regulations have an undoubted feminist character, and also an important social component, since they revalue the care sector.

In Spain, the reduction in the gender wage gap since 2018 has been reduced by 5.3 points, which is equivalent to a 25% drop in just six years. However, it is necessary to continue efforts in this direction

By joining EPIC we reflect the alignment of our legislative and political efforts with the objectives of this Coalition, and we reaffirm our commitment to gender equality and social justice.

We are convinced that, as members of EPIC, we will be able to contribute to the promotion of pay equality at a global level, sharing our experiences, exchanges of best practices and learnings.