Which are the pending subjects to achieve effective and real equality? This is the question that was asked at the III Hypatia Forum, which gave voice to 143,000 professional women. This third edition, entitled “The claim of women“, despite being online, has been a space for meeting, reflection, vindication, and empowerment of women, on the occasion of 8M, International Women’s Day.

Promoted by the Associació 50a50, the Hypatia Forum has been organized by a total of 23 feminist entities and associations that work together for the same goal, SDG 5 of the United Nations 2030 Agenda. To make this goal a reality, we need a paradigm shift, we need action. And that is our claim, the claim of women.

United for equality, equity, and human rights, three women recognized with the Cross of Sant Jordi offered their vision on the need to achieve effective and real equality:

• Anna Mercadé i Fernando, president of the Association 50a50 y Cross of Sant Jordi 2020: “The struggle of women has achieved the rights and Equality Laws, now it is necessary that they be fulfilled and, therefore, political will is necessary as well as transformations in the organization of society. We are half of the population, we are the ones who work, we are the ones who carry society forward”.
• Joana Amat Amigó, president of the FIDEM Foundation and Copersona y Cross of Sant Jordi 2019: “Companies must be involved and recognize the paternity of man to enable joint responsibility, and they must also be involved with transparency to provide a solution to the wage gap”.
• Fina Rubio Serrano, president of the Fundació Surt and of the Xarxa de Dones Directives i Professionals de l’Acció Social (DDIPAS) and Cross of Sant Jordi 2019: “For women, it rains in the wet in this crisis, and the labor gaps that already existed have deepened with the pandemic. We need employment policies that include measures with a gender perspective. We need a feminist economy”.

Next, in a choral act, ten specialist voices in different fields exposed ten of the lines of work in which it is necessary to act to advance towards effective and real equality:

• Marta Macias Quesada, president of the Association For Gender Seal, on human rights: “Human rights must be applied through policies that are capable of anticipating possible oppressions, bearing in mind that diverse identities are changing and dynamic. An intersectional approach is necessary”.
• Gemma Calvet i Barot, director of the Agència de Transparència de l’Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona: “The creation of an Equality Council is essential. The equality law is well articulated, but political determination is necessary. Equality policies are emergency policies”.
• Mar Gaya Quiñonero, vice president of the Associació 50a50, in relation to the labor market: “The wage gap in Catalonia is 22.2%, the result of the glass ceiling, the sticky floor, and it is a reflection of the difficulties we have. We must incorporate the gender perspective in the labor market because work makes us economically free and sovereign”.
• Sira Vilardell Canal, general director of the Fundació Surt, on the care economy: “We denounce the gender biases in the economy because the care economy is supported by women and is invisible”.
• Carmen Puche i Moré, filmmaker and member of the board of directors of Dones Visuals, regarding culture, communication and audiovisuals: “Feminisms can welcome us all if we talk to each other. The first thing is to know is who we are and what we need. In culture, the network is important to give visibility to women”.
• Eva Blanco Catalan, co-leader of Lean In Barcelona, ​​on education: “The cultural push of the gender role does not help women. It is necessary to upskill their skills to generate opportunities and change the educational model oriented towards skills for the future without gender bias”.
• Jara Forcadell Ortiz, on behalf of Young IT Girls, on the challenges of youth: “Young women want to talk about solutions. We still have a long way to go towards equality, and young generations are suffering a lot from the consequences of the crisis. It is easy to fall into despair”.
• Àngels Escorsell Mañosa, president of the Associació de Metgesses de Catalunya: “The health world has a female face, but women in management positions are below 30%”.
• Karina Gibert i Oliveras, president of DonesCOEINF and DonesIAcat on female talent and the future of technology: “Women are 52% ​​of the population but female talent has not been incorporated into ICT and STEM careers. Consequence: technology has biases that increase the gender gap”.
• Maria Cinta Pastor Redondo, representing La Intercol·legial, on violence against women: “Violence against women and gender violence is the largest genocide in history. It is physical violence: they kill them. But it comes from economic, psychological, cultural and emotional violence”.

We want actions and not words. For this reason, during this year, we will organize the Hypatia Cycle, a series of sessions that will delve into these challenges and demand responses from the administrations, the business community, and society as a whole.

Women must be co-protagonists in the construction of society, and this society has to respond to the challenges that we have raised at the III Hypatia Forum. You can listen to them and watch the entire act here.

The III Hipatia Forum has been organized by the following entities and associations: 50a50, ADEVallès, Agència de Transparència de l’Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona, Agima People, Associació de Dones de Sant Quirze del Vallès, Associació de Metgesses de Catalunya, ASODAME, Círculo de Mujeres de Negocios, DDiPAS, Dona’t un Impuls, DonesCOEINF (Comissió de Gènere del Col·legi Oficial d’Enginyeria Informàtica de Catalunya), DonesIAcat (Comissió de Gènere de l’Associació Catalana d’Intel·ligència Artificial), Dones en Xarxa, Dones Visuals, Forgender Seal, Fundació FIDEM, Fundació Surt, La Intercol·legial, Lean In Barcelona, Observatori Dona Empresa i Economia de la Cambra de Comerç de Barcelona, On Són Les Dones, Wo+men’s Progress i Young IT Girls.