The PSOE Teruel party list head for the Senate in the general elections, María José Villalba, stated this Tuesday that "when the PP makes its policies bend to Vox's directives, it turns its back on women and, especially, rural women".
In this way, she referred to the vote against by the Partido Popular regarding the processing of the Statute of Rural Women in Aragón and called for "respect and continued listening" by all institutions to guarantee "the right to remain".
These statements were made at a new open meeting held in Torrijo del Campo (Teruel), focused this time on the reality of rural women. At the event, the socialist candidates María Pilar Castellano and Silvia Gimeno also spoke, as well as the regional lawmaker María Ariño, who defended in the Cortes de Aragón the consideration of the Statute of Rural Women, which was ultimately rejected by PP and Vox. Alongside them, Carolina Llaquet, president of the Federation of Rural Women Associations (Fademur), also took part.
Llaquet placed the focus on the need to make rural women visible, especially in the agricultural field. She stressed that, over time, the work that women have carried out on farms has gradually been recognized, albeit invisibly, although she insisted that there is still room to go further.
"The visibility of women has not yet translated into real power; we have not managed to access, on the same terms as men, the places where decisions are made," she said.
After listening to the demands and reflections of Fademur's president, María José Villalba asked herself: "How can the rural setting be defended if we don't listen to those who account for more than half of the population?"
She emphasized that "this listening and this work must be carried out at all levels of the administration. In the case of the Government of Spain, it is carried out fundamentally through the Institute of Women, the Council of Women's Participation, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food," highlighting that Fademur's demands "are the best gauge for implementing policies in the rural setting".
Villalba has said that the programs and projects driven forward by entities and associations such as Fademur have funding from the Government of Spain, whose role she has described as “fundamental,” especially in the face of the “denialist and restrictive policies on rights” that, she has said, are already being applied by the PP and Vox governments in different autonomous communities.
She has recalled that, in the last four years, the Ministry of Equality has intensified its financial and structural support for feminist and women’s organizations, guaranteeing resources for their maintenance and strengthening their capacity for organization, representation, and social influence. “A recognition of the decisive role of the feminist movement in the conquest of rights and of the need to have a strong, autonomous, and stable network of associations. 5,000,000 euros in total, which represents an increase of 170.3% compared to 2023 and 150% more than in the previous year,” the candidate explained.
Likewise, she has emphasized that many of the key powers for addressing the main problems of the rural environment correspond to the regional governments, such as active employment policies or measures in housing matters.
“To develop a life project, employment and housing are fundamental. If the Aragonese Law on the Promotion of the Rural Environment were being implemented, it would be much easier because of its cross-cutting nature,” she pointed out.
Villalba has insisted that “developing policies that make it easier for rural women to start a life project, such as employment, housing, and nearby basic public services, must be a priority for all institutions and at all levels.”
Situation of migrant women in the rural environment
During the meeting, moderated by the Socialist councillor in Torrijo del Campo and leader of the agricultural organization UPA Vanessa Polo, the head of the PSOE list for the Senate has also warned about the “double vulnerability” faced by migrant women in the rural environment.
Along these lines, she has highlighted the role of third-sector entities and rural women’s associations to “involve” these women “in community life” and facilitate their participation in the life of the towns, where, she added, “the Ampas also play a fundamental role.”
Villalba has censured that the entry of Vox into the autonomous governments and the “responsibilities handed over” by the PP in matters of rural services and the rural environment, “especially when what is being applied is the so-called national priority,” contribute to stigmatizing the migrant population, “by expelling them from basic resources, generating second-class citizens with greater inequality, if anything.”