A spokesman for Martha LoisSumar revealed an image to Congress during a debate about the uneasy appointment of Alberto Núñez Feijóo. The black-and-white photo captured a table of suited men at the signing of the 1978 constitutional treaty. A member from Yolanda Díaz’s coalition asked, “What’s missing from this picture?” The blunt answer followed: “Women.” The exchange underscored a question that remains relevant in 2023: a Nou d’Octubre without women would feel incomplete. Nou d’Octubre is a day for all Valencians, oscillating between solemnity and vindication, a moment when Valencian identity is publicly asserted. The claim endures that women have always existed in some form, and their participation has driven progress toward identity and self-government.
Voices rise from those demanding autonomy, carrying banners in front rows. Levante-EMV gathers politically and socially active women on the eve of Valencian Community Day to reflect on the feminist and female history of Nou d’Octubre since the early post-Franco protests. The path toward the Statute of Autonomy has endured, and the modern feminist movement has spread across all areas of life, ensuring gender perspectives stay central in public life. The central question remains: how have women shaped and understood identity and autonomy within this movement?
Participation does not equal power. The initial idea emerged from a roundtable where women from different generations shared their histories of Nou d’Octubre. The setting was the Octubre Center de Cultura, the headquarters of ACPV in the heart of Valencia. A jurist and longtime activist, a leading organizer in the Federació de Dones Progressistes sits among peers. Beside her sits the secretary general of CC OO Valencia, the first woman to hold that post; a teacher and activist; and the president of ACPV.
The conversation began with a photograph from a 1982 demonstration demanding the Statute of Autonomy, likely captured as mass mobilization peaked in 1977 with hundreds of thousands in the streets.
Banners from that era carried slogans such as “We want autonomy” and “Political prisoners of the Valencian Autonomous Country.” Some banners displayed the quadribarrada and the senyera in blue. The shared image highlights a front line dominated by men, prompting reflection on where women stood in those early days of the movement.
Two views, two spaces
The prevailing belief is that women always played active roles in self-government mobilizations, yet participation did not always translate into power. “Going to the streets to protest is one thing; being a professor is another,” notes the author of the roundtable. Still, the era brought women into politics from equality movements within universities, integrating them into public life and advancing autonomy alongside democracy. Nou d’Octubre symbolizes the autonomy achieved through laws recognizing rights, reinforcing women’s citizenship.
Multiple leadership models exist, and social change is visible across associations, unions, and political parties. More women are appearing in the foreground, though visibility often depends on networks and collaboration rather than loud public profiles. The ACPV president emphasizes that leadership is moving toward more collective forms.
In the 1970s, while men led demonstrations, women carried banners, organized materials, and connected with neighborhood associations to boost participation. A teacher underscores the crucial role of educators in preserving the region’s linguistic heritage. Before the Valencian Use and Education Act of 1982, many teachers risked teaching in Valencian at school. Language itself is tied to identity: defending linguistic normalization means defending autonomy, and teachers carried that work. The Nou d’Octubre movement is a community-building day, and the equality movement remains a hallmark of Valencian women.
Times of change and the street
The autonomist movement emerged alongside the end of Franco’s regime and the rebirth of democracy. Mass demonstrations and a growing sense of possibility wove through these times. An honorary history professor at the University of Valencia highlights the synergy between politics and feminism that began in the 70s. “Politics shifted from mere administration to a broader modernity where feminism takes a leading role,” she observes.
The first women’s days in Valencia occurred in 1977, during the big demonstrations for the Statute. The region embraced a Valencian identity that represented everyone. Early interactions with political parties were tense—some argued equality demands should wait. Yet it became clear that democracy encompasses more than party lines; autonomy and feminist advances could move forward together. The experience showed that the democratic and autonomist movements were not initially feminist, but the environment allowed women to express themselves and shape the conversation and the law.
The discussion names Conxa Gisbert and the first director of the Institut Valencià de les Dones in the 80s, along with other notable figures, as key players in the era that followed.
“October 9 is not just a flag. The flag carried the struggle and the language. The work of women citizens continued, demanding schools in Valencia, language autonomy, and women’s presence in politics and society,” a participant notes. “There is much left to do, but Valencian women are deeply non-conformist. They want more, and that drive is a political commitment beyond party lines.” Another contributor adds that collaboration across sectors is essential and that unity is necessary to safeguard self-government and equality. Yet there is concern about the rise of far-right rhetoric that threatens gains in autonomy and equality, urging clear political will to push the cause forward. The two leaders also point to the scarcity of women who have received high honors from the Generalitat.
Only 9 of 80 higher ranks are for women
Since the first edition in 1986, only nine of the highest distinctions have gone to women, forty-nine to men, and twenty-two to organizations or companies. Two of the nine are national women football players honored today; the rest were awarded between 2016 and 2022 during peak cultural years.
A voice reflects on what it means to shape the land: “Valencia needs a culture that respects women’s rights, equitable schooling, and regional love. Steps have been taken to mainstream feminism, and there is more to be done.” The consensus is clear: equality remains a defining feature of Valencia.