On 8 March, International Women’s Day, we come together to assert, more than ever, the strength of the feminist movement as a driver of change and social transformation. We celebrate the progress made and recognise the struggles overcome, but we also give visibility to the persistent difficulties in the search for real equality and warn of the danger of setbacks in the face of a reactionary wave that is already upon us.

Feminism, as a movement of all women and based on diversity, has been a beacon of hope, creating spaces for reflection and action in our towns and cities, where more and more people recognise themselves as part of a great movement that fights to build more just, equal and inclusive societies.

This transformative force has empowered women, broken down barriers and established new horizons for freedom and equality. Regulatory developments and organised demonstrations have been fundamental in building a world where women’s voices are being heard with increasing power.

Thanks to the feminist movement, significant progress has been made in sexual and reproductive rights and labour rights. And care work has also been placed at the centre of the political and social agenda. However, there are still many global challenges to be faced, such as the wage gap, the vulnerability and feminisation of poverty, the lack of real co- responsibility of men in reproductive and care tasks, the low representation of women on boards of directors, the double discrimination of racialized women and gender-based violence.

Despite persistent difficulties, we have managed to earn positions of economic, political and cultural power. The increase of women in leadership positions in institutions, companies and organisations, as well as the passing of laws for equal pay, are signs that this transformative force continues to break glass ceilings and eradicate sticky floors.

The intersectional feminist approach has become a key tool on the road to progress in the achievement of collective social rights, in the development of public policies that guarantee the rights of all citizens and in building a more equal, just and democratic society.

And we cannot forget that in the last decade we have witnessed demonstrations against gender-based violence that have been a firm and united cry against patriarchal values, which highlight the sexual and structural abuse present in all areas of our lives.

But despite this progress, we still have many obstacles, challenges and resistance to overcome in order to achieve real equality.

We cannot ignore that extremist and reactionary positions have arisen that, from a point of view of anti-feminism, want to dismantle the conquests that have cost us so much. Neo- masculinity, a kind of masculinity that allies itself with fascist and ultra-conservative right- wing views and that disguises itself in new strategies that use social networks to generate hatred and division, constitutes a growing threat to women’s rights and our freedom. This new masculinity has a particularly harmful impact on young people, who need spaces of feminist empowerment and resistance more than ever. In fact, according to the results of the second 2024 Sociopolitical Survey by the Register of Opinion Studies (CEO), more than half of men aged 16-24 strongly or somewhat agree that the feminist movement has gone too far.

Throughout the world, especially in conservative contexts, feminism has faced a harsh attack. All developments in women’s rights are threatened by restrictive laws and speeches that question the rights gained.

In many corners of the world, war and armed conflict continue to be the most gruelling face of inequality and violence. Palestinian, Afghan, Syrian, Ukrainian and other conflict-affected women suffer not only the destruction of their lands and communities, but also a double oppression: war violence combined with patriarchal oppression. To them, to their silenced voices, to their struggles for survival and their rights, we give our support and express our solidarity.

Today, we have many reasons to call upon all administrations to continue working towards gender equity: the Government of the Generalitat, provincial councils, county councils and all city councils. We know that our communities are the closest spaces of transformation and from where we can build creative, efficient and social strategies to confront this reactionary counterattack. Let’s continue to make progress on the road to equality, with a firm commitment to creating institutional, social and political feminist frameworks throughout the country that protect the rights of all women and girls.

It is essential to weave alliances between feminist and women’s groups, environmental groups, anti-racist groups and other progressive organisations to strengthen the power of our common struggles. These alliances must be accompanied by transformative public policies and proposals. We must join forces in our struggle, because equality is not only a right, but also a tool for social change for the whole of society.

We will move forward, not only for the past that has made us strong, but for the future we want to build together. A future in which gender equity is a reality.

For a feminist future. For a freer and more egalitarian society.

Feminists today, feminists always.

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The data still reminds us of the scale of the challenge. Although women make up 64% of the research centre workforce, only 45% of research projects are led by women. Furthermore, research groups led by women secure, on average, 35% fewer competitive funding resources than those led by men (DREU, 2023). This imbalance exemplifies the well-known “scissors diagram,” which illustrates how, despite the increasing access of women to scientific careers, leadership positions remain predominantly occupied by men. However, the 2024 Gender Equality Strategy in Science (EIGEC) sets out a promising path forward. Universities and research centres are working to reshape organisational structures, thus turning gender equality into a tangible and genuine commitment. Beyond symbolic declarations, concrete measures are already being implemented through equality plans and protocols. These efforts include promoting shared responsibility for caregiving between men and women, preventing, detecting, and addressing sexual and gender-based harassment, ensuring women’s leadership in research projects, reversing the vertical and horizontal segregation of tasks that still perpetuates the gender pay gap, and integrating a gender perspective into all research phases to prevent gender-blind results.

This effort is already yielding results. For example, in the field of health sciences, the percentage of women leading research projects has risen from 30% to 50% between 2021 and 2023, according to data from the Department of Research and Universities. This progress is no coincidence; it is the direct result of policies designed to tackle the invisible barriers that have hindered the careers of many women for far too long. However, resistance to change remains significant. Those driving these initiatives within research centres’ equality committees often face criticism and lack of understanding. Equitable and sustainable science is better science—not only because it ensures equal opportunities, but also because it enriches research with more diverse and inclusive perspectives. The integration of a gender perspective in research is not solely the responsibility of women; it is a collective duty that both men and women must embrace.

Our gratitude goes to all those who, with dedication and courage, are working to make this change a reality. The path to equality is not an easy one, but it is the only one that guarantees that future generations of female scientists will be able to fully dedicate themselves to what truly matters: advancing human knowledge without burdens or discrimination. Let this 11th of February serve as a reminder not only of the work still to be done, but also of what can be achieved when a commitment to gender equality is translated into action.

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When the CERCA Diversity Committee was set up in 2013, we did not expect to face the enormous task we have found. The slow implementation of gender policies in research is comparable to, if not slower than, their implementation in other sectors.

We soon saw that we needed to become more involved, with specific, decisive actions to facilitate change.

Since then, we have published a model Equal Opportunities and Diversity Management Plan (2014), which has meant that, today, practically all CERCA centres have a gender plan, specific units and policies adapted to the needs of female researchers. We have worked to ensure that external advisory boards are created in a more balanced way, that periodic assessments in centres examine actions for gender balance actions, and that gender biases that lead to undervaluing candidacies from female researchers are avoided in the selection of personnel (2016).

From 2019, through grants from the Spanish Pact against Gender-based Violence from the Spanish Ministry of the Presidency, Relations with the Courts and Equality, we have developed a number of tools and actions for training and awareness-raising in gender-based violence in the academic environment.

It may come as a surprise to many of you, but in a survey conducted among CERCA centres last year, which included a specific question on gender-based violence (“Have you detected any cases since the implementation of the last valid plan or over the last five years?”), 17% of the answers were affirmative. We consider this figure to be rather high.

As a result, we have trained the centres’ gender units in the prevention of gender-based violence from an intersectional perspective and prepared a series of awareness-raising campaigns aimed at all staff. The video presented here is the first of such actions, which we hope will provoke reactions and reflections. We produced it in conjunction with Hilde Janssens, a researcher and specialist in gender equality in research, and Mara Dierssen, a senior researcher and member of the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) Gender Balance Committee, and a member of the CERCA Institute Gender Committee.

The CERCA system is committed to the equality of people and the utmost respect for their differing situations, and we hope this video will help improve the current situation for individuals and research institutions.

Watch the full video

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