Martha LoisSumar’s spokesman flashed an image to the entire Congress during his intervention in the debate over the disappointing appointment of Alberto Núñez Feijóo. He showed a black-and-white photo of a table surrounded by men in suits at the signing of the 1978 constitutional treaty. Someone from Yolanda Díaz’s coalition asked: “What’s missing from this picture?” asked. “Women. There is a lack of women. Can you imagine the reality of this situation in 2023, where there is not a single woman? Nou d’Octubre is the day of all Valencians. A day that oscillates between solemnity and vindication, and where their Valencian identity is expressed. A Nou d’Octubre without women Can you imagine Octubre?The truth is that they have always existed in some form and without them the demands for identity and self-governance would not have been realized.
This is said by those who are demanding autonomy and who are currently carrying banners in the front rows. Levante-EMV brings together politically and socially active women on the eve of Valencian Community Day to answer these questions and put a name and face to the feminist and feminine history of the Nou d’Octubre since the first post-Franco protests. Until today, the Statute of Autonomy was required. Advances in the women’s liberation movement and the cross-spreading of feminism into all aspects of life confirm that the gender perspective is here to stay and women will be in public life, but in what way do they have and had identity and autonomy? movement?
Participation is not the same as power. This is the first idea that emerged at a table where women from different generations and walks of life sat down to talk about their own histories of the Nou d’Octubre. The setting is the Octubre Center de Cultura, headquarters of Acció Culture del País Valencià (ACPV), in the heart of València. Julia SevillaHe is a jurist and veteran of the Federació de Dones Progressistes, one of the founders of the Federació de Dones Progressistes, as well as being involved in the beginning of Corts’ activities after the signing of the Charter, as the institution’s lawyer. next to him Ana GarciaSecretary general of the Workers’ Commissions of the Country Valencia (CC OO) (the first woman to hold this position); Angels Martínez BonaféPedagogical Renewal Movement teacher and activist and Anna OliverPresident of ACPV.
The starting point is a photo of one of the demonstrations to demand the Statute of Autonomy in 1982. Probably in 1977, when social mobilization reached half a million people.
Some of the phrases read on flag-adorned banners include “Volem autonomy” or “Political prisoners of the Valencian Autonomous Country”. Some quadribarrada. Some with senyera blue. It responds to the conflict over the flag and the name of the autonomy of that time. Valencian Country or Valencian Community? Beyond the identity structure, what stands out in the shared photo is that the first rows are predominantly made up of men. Men are ahead. What about women?
Two views, two areas
The truth is that they all state that women have always played and have played an active role in self-government mobilizations. But again, participation is different from power. “Going to the streets to demonstrate is one thing, being a professor is another. We are still far from the areas of power,” says Sevilla. But with autonomy and democracy, she celebrates “the entry into politics of women who came from equality movements in universities and who did so much to integrate us into public life.” “Nou d’Octubre symbolizes the autonomy that the approval of laws confirming our rights and therefore our status as citizens represents for women,” she adds.
For his part, Oliver believes: “There are many models of leadership and a social change is taking place in associations, trade unionism or political parties. There are more women in the foreground”, but perhaps less visibility, because “the leadership is different, they work more in the networks, they look for complicity and they leave the public image behind in exchange for achieving the goal,” says the president of ACPV.
“In the 70s, men were at the head of the demonstration, but it was women who carried the banners, organized the machine to make brochures, and spoke to neighborhood associations to participate in the demonstrations,” she recalls. Àngels Martínez also emphasizes the role of teachers in preserving education in Valencia. «Before the Valencian Use and Education Act of 1982 there were many teachers who risked the chance to teach in Valencian at school.» Name Barx’s teacher, Marifé Arroyo. She states that language is identity. “To defend linguistic normalization is to defend autonomy, and teachers are the ones who carry out this work.” Ana Garcia adds that Nou d’Octubre is “a town-building day.” The leader of CC OO says that the equality movement is “also a hallmark of Valencian women”.
Times of change and the street
Beginning of the autonomist movement. The death of Franco and the rebirth of democracy. Times of change. Mass demonstrations. The honorary history professor of the University of Valencia remembers this Isabel MorantShe says that the important thing lies in the synergy between politics and feminism that started in the 70s. “Before, politics was strictly administration, but the advent of modernity is something in which feminism is the protagonist and transfers this to the parties.”
The first women’s days in the Land of Valencia were precisely in 1977, the year of mass demonstrations to demand the Status. “We have embraced a Valencian identity that represents all of us. Relations with the parties were not easy at first because they thought that demands for equality should be postponed. To what extent did they fail to realize that democracy is broader than parties? “We wanted autonomy to come with feminist advances.” There was “tension” but also “synergy” because feminist women “were active in the parties and at the same time demanding autonomy and support for language,” she recalls. «The democratic and autonomist movement was not feminist at the beginning, but the environment was conducive for women to express themselves openly and set a feminist agenda. We were not at the signing of the charter, but we were actively participating in the construction of democracy,” says Morant. Talking about Conxa GisbertThe first director of the Institut Valencià de les Dones in the 80s Trini Simó, Carmen Alborch or Olga Quiñoles.
«October 9 is not just a flag. Struggle was the name of the flag and the language. “We were and still are behind this debate, wanting a school in Valencia, demanding the emancipation of women and at the same time their presence in politics and society,” says Sevilla. “There is a lot to be done, but Valencian women are, above all, non-conformists. We want more, and this indicates a political commitment beyond the parties. Cross,” adds Ana García.
However, although positions of power are difficult to attain, the Valencian Community has been a “pioneer” in having female leaders in local and regional politics, as Seville points out. “Women who have become the ultimate ambassadors and have their own personalities,” she says. mentions the first mayor of Valencia, Clementina Ródenas (PSOE) was later replaced by another woman. Rita Barbera (PP) was the supreme authority for over twenty years.
“We opened a way”
Maria Àngels Ramón-Llin As a public representative, she was one of the first women to witness Senyera descending from the balcony of the city hall. The former councilor and current director general of the Valencian Institute of Social Services (Ivass) entered politics early and considers himself “very Valencian”.
The young politician of Unió Valenciana and his first 9 October after the PP lived surrounded by men. He explains that he is the only one among them all. She believes that the evolution of female heroism in a festive and solemn environment like today’s goes hand in hand with social advances in terms of equality. “We paved a way. She was the only woman at Consell at the time. [fue consellera de Agricultura con Zaplana, después diputada en el Congreso y concejala con Barberá hasta 2019] and also the smallest. Over the years, women are occupying the places that belong to us.
Later equality laws and equality democracy encouraged public existence. Seville also draws attention in the events of October 9th. In this sense, Ana Garcia draws attention to the struggles that preceded her generation. But he is concerned about the rise of the far right, with rhetoric that “puts self-government at risk” and “the achievement of equality”, and believes the next necessary step is “unanimous and clear political determination”. Both García and Sevilla highlight the small number of women to date who have been awarded the high distinction of the Generalitat.
Only 9 of 80 higher ranks are for women
Since the first edition in 1986, only 9 distinctions have been granted to women, 49 to men, and 22 to organizations or companies. Two of the nine belong to national team football players who were awarded today, and the rest were awarded between 2016 and 2022 during the Botanical years.
Àngels Martínez thinks: “To build the Land of Valencia is to build a culture, and this implies women’s rights, schooling in Valencia and love for the region. We have made progress in the ‘mainstreaming’ of the feminist movement and we need to get there,” he concludes. They all match. Equality “is also unique to Valencia.”