By Cynthia Goldman

Spanish newspapers have been all a buzz reporting the new change in Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero’s government. This is the first time in Spanish history where women outnumber men in governmental positions.

The new numbers show how far Spain has gone in the past 29 years since the conservative dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, in which a man had a legal right to “discipline” his wife by beating her and holding hands in public was prohibited.

The general public, especially women’s groups, are happy with the current change in hopes that Zapatero will pass a broad legislative package to combat domestic violence. The issue has gained attention since newspapers reported the rising statistics of women being killed or attacked by abusive partners. In fact, following terrorism, unemployment and crime, abuse against women is ranked as one of the country’s most serious problems.

While many have commended Spanish efforts for a gender-equal government, similar to that of Nordic countries like Sweden, Italy’s new Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi scuffed at the Spanish cabinet for being “too pink”.

Berlusconi, who was recently re-elected, was quoted earlier saying, “Zapatero has formed a government that is too pink, (something) which we cannot do in Italy because there is a prevalence of men in politics and it isn’t easy to find women who are qualified for government.”

At a news conference, Spanish daily El Pais cited Berlusconi joking, “He’ll have problems leading them” and “Now he’s asked for it.”

In response to the conservative Italian’s jokes and comments, Elena Valenciano, the Socialist Party’s secretary for international relations said, “In Italy, as in Spain, there are enough women sufficiently qualified, intelligent and capable of being ministers or occupying other government posts.”

She also said that Berlusconi should respect the decisions of prime ministers of other countries and follow Zapatero’s example because “it would benefit politics and society in Italy.”

Besides fighting domestic violence, these progressive measures are expected to facilitate divorce proceedings, legalize abortion and educational and awareness programs, including classes on gender equality for schoolchildren.

This news is wonderful to hear since I’ve been living in Spain for almost four months now and have realized how different Spanish and American ideals are. Growing up, I was told women and men are equal. Now that I’m entering the workforce soon, I know that that idea may or may not be the overall consensus in regards to employment and salaries. Nevertheless, the United States prides itself on fighting for gender equality. But it’s a relief to hear that such conservative countries such as Spain are striving for a gender-equal environment as well. I think that although the Italian prime minister spoke negatively about the reform, it won’t be long for other European countries to follow suit. Overall, everyone will be affected by this in a positive way!