Feminism of State and the Political Debate: Occupational Training in Spain

This article studies the bodies for equality (also known as feminist institutions) established with the explicit aim of contributing to the improvement of women's status. The main issue centers on the question of whether such bodies play a relevant role in the overall political decision-making process and, more specifically, in the discussions that precede the taking of important decisions on any given issue. We will examine here the case of the role of the Instituto de la Mujer (Spanish Institute of Women), the main government body this kind, in the field of occupational training since the 1980s. The study presented shows that the Instituto played almost no part in the consultation process that preceded the drawing up of key measures in the field. Among other factors that might explain this lack of influence, the article highlights the characteristics of the public policy area of occupational training; the relative weakness of the Instituto de la Mujer compared with other institutions, & the characteristics of the current welfare state in Spain. References. Adapted from the source document.