Fórum de Política Feminista

The Fórum de Política Feminista (FPF) is a Spanish women's association formally constituted in January 1987, state-wide in scope and non-profit, self-described as secular, plural, and independent. It positions itself within political feminism and focuses on influencing public agendas to advance equal rights and opportunities for women, as well as making these demands visible and understandable to society at large. Its main lines of action are parity and participatory democracy, gender-based violence, and dignified and equal employment. It works with a clear vocation for unity of action within the feminist movement both nationally and internationally, and maintains dialogue with trade union, neighbourhood, environmental, and international cooperation movements, articulating its work mainly through participation in various unitary platforms. The FPF emerged in 1986, after a decade of social effervescence following nearly forty years of Francoist dictatorship (1939–1975). During that decade, the Coordinadora Feminista de Cataluña, the Plataforma de Organizaciones Feministas in Madrid, the Asambleas de Mujeres in Euskadi, and the Federación de Organizaciones Feministas del Estado Español were formed. Key feminist gatherings took place, including the I Jornadas Nacionales por la Liberación de la Mujer in Madrid (1975), the I Jornades Catalanes de la Dona (1976), the I Jornadas Feministas de Euskadi (1977), and the I Jornades de la Dona del País Valenciá (1977), pointing to a plural and decentralised feminism. Differences became evident at the II Jornadas Feministas Estatales in Granada (1979), and six years passed until the III Jornadas Feministas Estatales (1985) in Barcelona. This feminism mobilised around the decriminalisation of adultery and contraceptives, the divorce law, the right to abortion, and women's access to all professions and to social and political participation after decades without freedom of expression, association, and assembly. Alongside these achievements, debates arose within the feminist movement about its relationship with institutions, particularly the Subdirección General de la Condición Femenina created in 1977 by the UCD government and later the Instituto de la Mujer, established in 1983 by the socialist (PSOE) government that won the 1982 elections. This debate became relevant as numerous feminists joined the Instituto de la Mujer, representing the germ of what some called institutional feminism. In this context, a group of about twenty women with diverse militant trajectories—from the Frente de Liberación de la Mujer (FLM), the Movimiento Democrático de Mujeres (MDM), the Movimiento de Liberación Internacional de la Mujer (MLIM), and the Secretaría de la Mujer de CCOO—decided in 1986 to constitute the Fórum de Política Feminista. From its origins, the Fórum positioned itself in a decided political feminism, as its name indicates, aiming to fill the void they perceived between an anti-institutional stance and one more inclined to delegate to government tools linked to women's interests, which in practice they considered not only failed to allow true participation but could discourage it. In the words of Lucía Mazarrasa and Begoña San José, presidents of the Fórum de Política Feminista in the periods 1989–1998 and 1999–2005 respectively. With these premises, the FPF was born in October 1986, and on 26 January 1987 it was registered in the Register of Associations of the Ministry of the Interior. It burst onto the scene with a determined will to promote a political feminism aimed at influencing governments and parties from total independence and through dialogue and alliances with various civil society agents, including other women's and feminist associations, international cooperation organisations, and the trade union, neighbourhood, and environmental movements.

The Fórum de Política Feminista (FPF) emerged in 1986, after a decade of social effervescence following nearly forty years of Francoist dictatorship (1939–1975). During that decade, the Coordinadora Feminista de Cataluña, the Plataforma de Organizaciones Feministas in Madrid, the Asambleas de Mujeres in Euskadi, and the Federación de Organizaciones Feministas del Estado Español were formed. Key feminist gatherings took place, including the I Jornadas Nacionales por la Liberación de la Mujer in Madrid (1975), the I Jornades Catalanes de la Dona (1976), the I Jornadas Feministas de Euskadi (1977), and the I Jornades de la Dona del País Valenciá (1977), pointing to a plural and decentralised feminism. Differences became evident at the II Jornadas Feministas Estatales in Granada (1979), and six years passed until the III Jornadas Feministas Estatales (1985) in Barcelona. This feminism mobilised around the decriminalisation of adultery and contraceptives, the divorce law, the right to abortion, and women's access to all professions and to social and political participation after decades without freedom of expression, association, and assembly. Alongside these achievements, debates arose within the feminist movement about its relationship with institutions, particularly the Subdirección General de la Condición Femenina created in 1977 by the UCD government and later the Instituto de la Mujer, established in 1983 by the socialist (PSOE) government that won the 1982 elections. This debate became relevant as numerous feminists joined the Instituto de la Mujer, representing the germ of what some called institutional feminism. In this context, a group of about twenty women with diverse militant trajectories—from the Frente de Liberación de la Mujer (FLM), the Movimiento Democrático de Mujeres (MDM), the Movimiento de Liberación Internacional de la Mujer (MLIM), and the Secretaría de la Mujer de CCOO—decided in 1986 to constitute the Fórum de Política Feminista. From its origins, the Fórum positioned itself in a decided political feminism, as its name indicates, aiming to fill the void they perceived between an anti-institutional stance and one more inclined to delegate to government tools linked to women's interests, which in practice they considered not only failed to allow true participation but could discourage it. In the words of Lucía Mazarrasa and Begoña San José, presidents of the Fórum de Política Feminista in the periods 1989–1998 and 1999–2005 respectively. With these premises, the FPF was born in October 1986, and on 26 January 1987 it was registered in the Register of Associations of the Ministry of the Interior. It burst onto the scene with a determined will to promote a political feminism aimed at influencing governments and parties from total independence and through dialogue and alliances with various civil society agents, including other women's and feminist associations, international cooperation organisations, and the trade union, neighbourhood, and environmental movements. After its formal constitution, its first actions were protesting the arrests and closures of clinics where abortions were practised, as well as putting up posters with the slogan "Mujeres al poder" in the context of the June 1987 European Parliament elections. The FPF's main lines of action since its founding include three major blocks: parity and representative democracy, gender-based violence, and dignified and equal employment. In the area of achieving effective parity democracy, the Fórum monitors elections, watching over and demanding parity lists and processes in line with Organic Law 3/2007 for Effective Equality between Women and Men, and evaluating results afterwards. It also demands the effective participation of women in public policies and real, fluid dialogue between women's and feminist organisations and public authorities. In this sense, the Fórum has always been very active in demanding the functioning of the Women's Councils institution contemplated by Law 3/2007. The Fórum is formed by associated groups in Córdoba, Flora Tristán, Sevilla, Granada, Madrid, Málaga, Murcia, and Valencia. It collaborates with various platforms and is present on social media. Its website features news, publications, podcasts, and webinars, such as the presentation of the research "Patronato de Protección a la mujer: Una democracia para ellos", which examines the origins, social context, specific violences within the institution, and the concept of immorality, questioning whether it still persists. The Fórum also publishes a podcast, with episodes like "Machismos veraniegos" discussing summer-related sexism. It invites people to join, adhere to manifestos or statements, and register for events or activities.

• 1999

  Begoña San José begins term as president (until 2005).

• 1989

  Lucía Mazarrasa begins term as president (until 1998).

• 1987

  Formally registered in the Register of Associations of the Ministry of the Interior on 26 January.

• 1987

  First actions: protest against arrests and closures of abortion clinics; posters with slogan "Mujeres al poder" for European Parliament elections.

• 1986

  Fórum de Política Feminista founded in October by a group of about twenty women from various feminist and union backgrounds.

Political feminism focused on influencing public agendas for women's equal rights and opportunities, operating independently and through alliances with civil society.

• Research report "Patronato de Protección a la mujer: Una democracia para ellos"

  Investigation into the Patronato de Protección a la mujer, covering its origins, social context, specific violences within the institution, and the concept of immorality.

• Podcast series

  Podcast episodes discussing feminist topics, such as "Machismos veraniegos" on summer sexism.

• Webinars

  Online seminars on feminist political issues, including presentations of research.

1. 1Fórum de Política Feminista – Fórum de Política Feministaforumpoliticafeminista.org
2. 2Fórum de Politica Feministawikidata.org
3. 3Fórum de Política Feministaes.wikipedia.org