BR EAKING: Four new coronavirus cases confir med on Spain’s Costa del Sol (66,316

Voted top expat paper in Spain

A campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press represents the huge expatriate community in Spain with an estimated readership, including the websites, of more than one million people a month.

OPINION

The World’s End

CORONAVIRUS is the word on everyone’s lips at the moment, no matter where you are. The outbreak started in December but it was not until last week when it hit Italy, that everyone started freaking out. Yes, it’s a lot closer to home and the number of patients are increasing constantly, but people don’t need to stress as much as they are doing. It’s definitely more serious than a simple virus because it’s something new that the World Health Organization (WHO) needs to get its head around, but so far it has only killed 2% of those who have caught it. Those most prone to dying are older and therefore more vulnerable. Could it have been contained better at the start? Of course, but that’s not the average Asian person’s fault and it doesn’t give people the excuse to be racist just because you may think every Asian has the virus or because they should have self-quarantined. Is the world going to survive this? Of course it is, and the mask manufacturing-companies will have made billions in the meantime.

The fight goes on

IT’S 2020 and yes women’s rights have come a long way and one could be forgiven for thinking the fight for women’s rights should finally be over. But alas, this is not the case, the fight goes on...let’s look at the facts: In Spain, there have been 1,047 victims of sexist violence since records began in 2003. In 2020, at least 14 women have been killed in gender vio- lence attacks so far. Every four hours there is a report of gender violence in Spain. However, the forthcoming celebration and promotion of In- ternational Women’s Day is not only to highlight gender vio- lence but many other aspects such as equal pay and access to jobs and even just the simplicity of being able to leave fear at the front door and enter the outside world carefree, equal and accepted. So we have taken the opportunity to join in the celebrations and to highlight that we are backing the fight for women’s rights and look forward to more positive headlines such as: ‘Spain has no further gender violence attacks in 2020’, ‘Women succeed in fight for equal pay and status’ or ‘International Women’s Day no longer necessary’.

Publis he r / Edito r Jon Clarke, jon@theolivepress.es

Charlie Smith charlie@theolivepress.es

Joshua Parfitt joshua@theolivepress.es

Laurence Dollimore laurence@theolivepress.es

Dimitris Kouimtsidis dimitris@theolivepress.es John Culatto johnc@theolivepress.es

Gillian Keller gillian@theolivepress.es

Joanne Oakley joanne@theolivepress.es

Simon Wade simon@theolivepress.es

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we can do it!

Over a century after International Women’s Day first started, Karen Livermore asks, are things really any better in 2020? Ana Botín, President of the Santander banking group A N equal world is an enabled world. That’s the theme of International Women’s Day 2020. On March 8th the spotlight turns to women who are striving for gender parity in the workplace, in business, on the sports, in culture, and in their communities. IWD started in 1911, so now in a new century and a new decade are we making a difference? At first glance, it’s easy to say yes. There’s something in the air that feels like real change. The #metoo and #timesup movements were a palpable moment where women were not

The first woman to run a major European bank, Ana has been ranked 8th on the Forbes’ list of World’s Most Powerful Women and was also made an honorary dame by Queen Elizabeth II in 2015 for services to the financial industry. Ana is adamant there will be no discrepancy in salaries between male and female staff members taking on equal responsibility in a banking institution that is ranked 16th in the world and has recently introduced a work/life policy “I have spent years as an executive; years in which I have seen enough to know that in general women don’t get a fair deal. In a speech delivered to a room full of men in Bilbao in 2008, I talked about the importance of women acting with more confidence in ourselves and that we needed to change the work culture and in doing so society if we wanted to see advances in the field of equality. “Since then these ideas have been reflected in the equal opportunity policies that we first pushed for in Banesto, then in Santander in the UK and more recently in the Santander group as a whole,”. In that speech I emphasised the benefits of diversity in the company. And with data from different studies, I explained that having more women in managerial positions, apart from being fair, was good for business. Besides talent, women bring skills to business that complement those of men – better interpersonal communication, cooperation, horizontal thinking and a capacity to really listen as well as more empa- thy and the ability to prioritise.” “Still today, one of the keys to equal opportunities lies in domestic work. For men to increase their share of this responsibility, we need public policies that allow for greater flexibility in the workplace.” only being heard, but their voices were powerful. They were calling out previously untouchable media giants, companies, politicians and stars. Being male, rich and powerful was suddenly no longer a shield. Out of it has come a real effort to shift, not only unpalatable men from their positions, but the views they represent, from public acceptance. We may be celebrating the downfall of Harvey Weinstein, and the shaming of Placido Domingo after he admitted he sexually harassed women, but in Saudi Arabia women are still high fiving their right to own a passport without the consent of a male guardian. Gender violence against women is still alarming. Last year was a dark year in Spain with 55 women killed either by partners or ex partners -the highest since 2015. In a disturbing move the Vox party is lobbying for cuts in funding to combat gender violence and a repeal of laws that protect women. Thankfully the government is ignoring these calls from the far right party. So what does IWD mean to me? As I see it, it’s not just about highly priced conference’s lauding business women and telling them how to make more money. That’s not the spirit of IWD. Work is only a part of who we are. Surely we should be joined in a common goal, not asking for special treatment, but equal treatment in every area of life. Supporting each other and celebrating achieve- ments - large and small. No one should feel if they aren’t superwoman, they aren’t worthy. IWD is inclusive. It’s about me, you, your mother, daughter, friend, niece, aunt. It’s not just for high flyers. It’s about the women who encourage other women in all areas of their lives. In the 1980s I worked in a high pressured, hard nosed news room of a national tabloid newspaper in London. The editor was a woman. She was tougher than the men - she had to be. It had been a hard climb to the top for her. She was firm but fair with her team and encouraged female reporters to thrive. She always had time to act as a mentor for all members of her team. Although she was clever, talented and deserved her role, behind her back, the men on the paper sneeringly called her ‘Gladys’ and plotted her downfall on a daily basis. In the end they won. But this feisty woman was not going to let the bastards grind her down, and she went on to create Women In Journalism, a group that provides mentoring, guidance and sponsorship for female journalists. She is still its Honorary President. So this International Women’s Day, wear purple- the colour of the movement - with pride. Let’s celebrate us and what we have achieved and what we can continue to achieve. There’s still a lot to do. So who’s with me? Contact us at: newsdesk@theolivepress.es Let’s raise a glass to cele- brate International Women’s Day 2020 or, as we say in Spain, Día Internacional de la Mujer. Ten women in Spain from all walks of life share their views and inspirational stories Women on the frontline in Spain