Women of Spain

Like many women around the world, the women of Spain are the mainstay of the family and daily pull things together to ensure harmony within the home, but with the fall of fascism and the rise of democracy  things started to change for the women in Spanish society.

During Franco's reign social values were strongly conservative, oppressive and restrictive,  enforcing a set of social structures aimed at preserving the traditional role of the family in general and women in particular.

After Franco's death many social and sexual mores started to relax. After 1975  criminal laws against homosexuals were either lifted or no longer enforced,  indeed today Spain recognises civil marriages between gay couples.

Many magazines and films previously prohibited were allowed into the country, one such being 'Playboy which had been banned until 1976. Issues around contraception and abortion where extremely restrictive under Franco's rule, together with the strict attitude of the Catholic church.  Today Spain has a more liberal aproach to such issues.

But perhaps the most significant change in social values revolves around the role of women in Spain. For many women the opportunity of a professional career was very limited,as the woman's role was thought to be in the home as wives and mothers.   The return of democracy also brought about the changing place of women in the work force and society.  During the years since his death women have grown both  in the work place and have increased in number in the Universities.

During Franco's years, Spanish law discriminated strongly against married women. They would need their husbands approval to engage in economic activities, employment, ownership of property or even travel away from home. Over the years there have been many sweeping changes which have become law which centre around marriage, contraception, abortion and divorce. But one of the biggest changes is that the role of women has greatly expanded. Spanish women are rapidly catching up with their European counterparts.

The lives of women under the Franco regime have been captured by Joan Fallon in her book 'Daughters of Spain' and is the story of the hard won changes within society that the women of Spain have achieved.