A large majority of women over 50 years old live with stupefaction the involution of women's equality policies in the world. I am not referring only to countries where women do not occupy any social or political position, but also to countries where we thought we had overcome differences thanks to the legal framework of equality and in which a social and cultural bias regarding the condition of women still persists.
We are women with the purpose and capacity to contribute knowledge and added value to society. We believe that incorporating our opinion, knowledge, ideas and points of view in companies, in administration and in society is something necessary and essential. We are not a quota, but without quotas it would have been impossible for us to access certain management levels and, once we are there, we have to demonstrate our capacity and worth more vehemently. We can never fail.
We have conquered important goals and, to continue advancing, we must count on the complicity of society as a whole, including young people. That is why we are especially concerned that in the 21st century young men feel that women's equality does not concern them or, even more worrying, that they feel that, because of women's equality, they lose opportunities. Nothing could be further from the truth. Women's equality is a challenge for society as a whole and we cannot go back in any of the areas achieved. Moreover, we must encourage more women to lead projects, companies and institutions.
Although new global trends try to return us to insignificant roles, we will continue to open the wayThose of us who have broken glass ceilings know that other women will come after us and that we have made that goal achievable for those who saw it as impossible.Some of us have been exhausted in the process; the level of self-demand, and the level of external demand, is very high. However, we have timidly reached theyes, you canor theso win.
But you never fully win, women know this well, since winning means giving up, and culturally we still carry many burdens and labels. It's not a perception, the data says so: women dedicate 15 more hours a week than men to domestic care and, although the female employment rate has reached 53% in 2024, the wage gap still persists.
Even so, developing a professional career is worth it. More and more of us are women working, more women committed to progress, and more women who see 8M as a symbol of resistance. Because, although new global trends driven by religions, authoritarianisms, and populisms, and aided by technology, try to return us to insignificant roles, we will continue to open the way.