Abstract
Article 14 of the Spanish Constitution establishes the right to equality and non-discrimination and specifically rejects discrimination on the basis of birth, race, sex, religion or opinion, while also prohibiting discrimination on any other personal or social circumstance. This policy framework is highly consistent with the historical moment and the socio-political context in which the Spanish Constitution was adopted, which meant a significant breakthrough, not only in restoring democracy but also in establishing a modern framework of coexistence. Along these lines, sex-based discrimination was probably the main and most widespread ground of prohibited discrimination, and was key to building a basic constitutional framework on which the principle of equality between women and men was developed. Indeed, the prohibition of sex discrimination has been very present in the Spanish legal system. It has been a building block in extensive case law at the Spanish Constitutional Court, although it has sometimes been the subject of contradictory cases and controversial political debates. However, obstacles in the fight against discrimination in Spain remain, especially in those areas where gender conflicts result in new forms of socialization that go beyond classic and historical gender roles. A clear conceptual and statutory integration of the prohibition of gender-based discrimination is necessary, in order to overcome limitations posed by the prohibition of sex-based discrimination in the Spanish legal system, as well as to allow for modern legal instruments to respond to new social realities regarding sex, sexuality and gender identity.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Butler, J. (1990). Gender trouble: Feminism and the subversion of identity. New York, NY: Routledge.
Cabeza, J., & Fernández, M. (2011). Comentario a las Sentencias del Tribunal Constitucional 24 y 26/2011, de 14 de marzo. Relaciones laborales: Revista crítica de teoría y práctica, 21(2), 811–840.
Cordero Gordillo, V. (2010). La concreción horaria de la reducción de jornada por motivos familiares. Aranzadi Social: Revista Doctrinal, 18(2), 33–42.
Eribon, D. (1999). Réflexions sur la question gay. Paris: Flammarion.
Foucault, M. (1978). A verdae e as formas jurídicas. Rio de Janeiro: Pontifica Universidade Católica de Rio de Janeiro.
Franke, K. M. (1995). The central mistake of sex discrimination law: The disaggregation of sex from gender. University of Pennsylvania Law Review, 144(1), 1–99.
Goodrich, T., Rampage, C., Ellman, B., & Halstead, K. (1989). Feminist family therapy: A casebook. New York, NY: Norton.
Miñarro, M. (2011). Prohibición de discriminación por circunstancias familiares versus división sexista de roles en la pareja: el afortunado reconocimiento a nivel constitucional del papel del padre en el cuidado de la prole. Revista de Derecho Social, 56, 149–162.
Montoya, D. (2011). Dimensión constitucional de los derechos de conciliación de la vida laboral, personal y familiar (comentario a las SSTCO 24/2011 y 26/2011, de 14 de marzo). Aranzadi Social, 4, 265–282.
Peral, L. (2000). Concepto de sexo y discriminación por razón de sexo en el Derecho Social Comunitario Europeo: la contradictoria sentencia del Tribunal de Justicia de las Comunidades Europeas en el asunto Grant respecto de su jurisprudencia en el asunto P./S. Derechos y Libertade Revista del Instituto Bartolomé de las Casas, 5(8), 393–428.
WPATH. (2011). Standards of care for the health of transsexual, transgender, and gender nonconforming people. World Professional Association for Transgender Health. Accessed August 25, 2015, from www.wpath.org
Yogyakarta Principles. (2006). Application of International Human Rights Law in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity. Accessed June 20, 2015, from http://www.yogyakartaprinciples.org/
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Peran, S. (2016). On the Necessity of Including Gender in Spain’s List of Prohibited Bases of Discrimination. In: Köllen, T. (eds) Sexual Orientation and Transgender Issues in Organizations. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29623-4_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29623-4_7
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-29621-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-29623-4
eBook Packages: Business and ManagementBusiness and Management (R0)