Spain exhibits feminist sensitivity and its public opinion reflects the highest levels of support for the fight against discrimination based on gender. In fact, 53% of Spaniards declare themselves to be feminists, a rate that reaches 45% among men and is the highest in the main European countries, according to an Ipsos survey carried out in more than 28 states between December and January. past.

However, not everything is bright in Spanish public opinion. On the one hand, 72% of citizens consider that not enough progress has been made in equal rights between men and women, but, on the other, 53% of those consulted believe that “we have come so far in promoting equality that we are now discriminating against men”.

Even so, the indicators for Spain reflect a greater feminist sensitivity when compared to the European average. For example, only 44% of Europeans (28 points less than Spaniards) consider that their respective countries have not made enough progress in equal rights. Likewise, while more than half of Spaniards declare themselves to be feminists, the European average is below 40%.

The greater degree of feminism can also be seen in the fact that almost 60% of Spaniards (eight points more than all Europeans) think that gender equality benefits men and women equally. However, at the same time, the conviction that gender equality is “discriminating against men” is 15 points more in Spain than the European average (which is below 40%). And this opinion is even shared by 44% of Spanish women (compared to 61% of men).

However, the contrast with the main European countries confirms Spain in vanguard positions in the feminist claim. For example, compared to more than 70% of Spaniards who consider progress towards equal rights unsatisfactory, the next highest rate is recorded in Italy (49%). On the other hand, in France and Great Britain (or in the US) the contingent of those who believe that the advances are already sufficient is even larger (up to close to 50%).

Likewise, and in relation to feminist identity, compared to 53% of Spaniards who fully assume it, this rate drops to 38% in Great Britain and 31% in Germany. Only Portugal (with 46% of respondents who identify themselves as feminists) comes close to the Spanish records. The distances are shortened, however, in the confirmation that inequality between men and women persists in terms of social, political or economic rights. But Spain (70%) is not only ahead of the European average (63%), but also France, the United Kingdom and Italy. And the distance reaches eight points with Germany (62%).

Lastly, the most striking exception occurs in the perception that advances in equality are leading men to be left behind. While more than 50% of Spaniards share that opinion, that rate falls to 43% in Great Britain or Italy, and is below 40% in France, Germany or Portugal.

In any case, Spanish public opinion is not uniform and the positions by gender or voting memory reveal visible variations. For example, the feeling that progress is insufficient falls 17 points among Vox voters (55%). And the differences are accentuated in feminist identification: while up to 70% of left-wing voters define themselves as feminists, that percentage drops to 44% among PP voters and 25% among Vox voters.

Regarding the perception that gender equality is discriminating against men, it reaches more than 70% of ultra-right voters and 63% of those of the PP. On the other hand, “only” share that opinion less than half of the socialist voters and a third of those of Podemos. Finally, only among Vox voters are the majority those who deny that gender inequality still persists in Spain. And, at the same time, these voters are the ones who to a lesser degree (30%) admit that gender equality benefits men and women equally. The truth is that the indicators of the Spanish far-right electorate are similar to those registered globally in countries such as Turkey or Hungary.