Spain’s new prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, just made history by appointing a government cabinet that is almost two-thirds female.
Spain’s new prime minister just appointed a majority-female cabinet. That’s a big deal.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who was just sworn in on June 2, is already making historic changes.
Madeleine Ngo covers economic policy for Vox. She previously worked at the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Sánchez, a member of Spain’s social democratic party, was sworn in on June 2 — and he’s wasted no time in shaking things up. His new cabinet includes 11 women and six men. Carmen Calvo, a former culture minister, will be Sánchez’s deputy prime minister and equality minister.
Following a meeting with King Felipe VI on Wednesday, Sánchez told reporters that his cabinet “is pro-gender equality, cross-generational, open to the world but anchored in the European Union.”
Sánchez took the helm of Spain’s government after former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who was mired in a corruption scandal, received a vote of no confidence on June 1 and was forced out of office after refusing to resign.
Sánchez’s party only holds 84 of 350 seats in the Spanish parliament, though, which could present problems for him. It would be relatively easy for Sánchez to lose power before his term ends in 2020 if he doesn’t keep support from other parties.
Spain is doing a lot better in this realm than many other countries
Sánchez’s move sets his country apart from most countries around the world, which are still struggling to achieve equitable female representation in top government positions.
In the US, for example, only six out of 23 members of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet are women. This includes controversial figures like Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, who has faced criticism for rescinding Obama-era protections for sexual assault survivors on college campuses, and CIA Director Gina Haspel, who has come under fire for her role in overseeing the torture of dozens of detainees.
Other countries, like Brazil, are doing a lot worse — in May 2016, Brazilian President Michel Temer appointed an all-male cabinet, sparking an uproar over the blatant lack of female representation.
According to a United Nations report, in June 2016, women made up a meager 22.8 percent of seats in national parliaments. And in January 2017, only 18.3 percent of government minister positions were held by women.
Although it’s unclear if Sánchez will be able to serve out his term, which is projected to end in mid-2020, his new cabinet signals that when it comes to enacting change, he’s more than just talk.
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