Internat
Womeniona’sl Day
March 2023
From Franco’s 50’s pamphlet on how to be a ‘good wife’ to femaleonly bookshops and a trio of woman at the top Spanish firms...
Under represented
See our International Women’s Day pullout inside
...HOW TIMES HAVE CHANGED!
A NEW law will make it mandatory for corporate boards to be composed of at least 40% women. Spain’s Parliament is set to introduce the ‘gender parity law’, which would see a similar quota set for the cabinet. It was due to be passed last night on the eve of International Women’s Day today and will be ratified by congress next month. All publicly-traded companies, or those with over 250 employees, must comply by July next year. Although many firms on the Ibex-35 already meet the quota, several fall short.
International
Women’s Day Childcare cash A JUDGE has calculated the value of a stayat-home mum during 25 years of marriage; some €204,000. It comes from the cost of paying for childcare and housework and was calculated during a separation hearing in Malaga. The couple had got married under the separacion de bienes regime, which means that if they were to split, each would only have a right to their own assets. This left the wife entitled to just half of a property she shared with her wealthy husband, who had amassed luxury assets over the years. The judge calculated the cost of raising their two daughters and ordered the husband to cough up.
Trans divide
FOR the first time, Women’s Day marches in Palma were divided into two separate routes. The ‘official’ demo organised by the Feminist Movement of Mallorca (MFM), attracted 3,000 participants. But an earlier march of 1,400 people gathered for Coordinator 8M Transfeminists (CT), who decided to walk separately to have a ‘safer space for all’ including transgender women. MFM said it respected the decision to hold a separate pro-trans march, but added: “We think that together we are stronger, especially because it is the patriarchy we have to fight against, not each other.” The separate marches took place in the wake of new progressive trans laws that have divided public opinion, including amongst feminists.
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OUR BRILLIANCE IN OUR DIVERSITYIS
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Please reward Madrid-based women equally, insists expat journalis t Fiona Govan
AN UNFAIR PORTR AYAL
In power
MALLORCA
Your expat
voice in Spain
Vol. 6 Issue 151 www.theolivepress.es March 10th - March 23rd 2023
Lights, camera, Mallorca HIT BBC1 detective series The Mallorca Files is back on the island. Filming of the third series started in Palma’s Plaza Cort yesterday, with more scenes to be shot across the island in the coming weeks. The popular BBC show enjoyed great success in the
first two series averaging two million viewers per episode. The show focuses on Welsh Detective Constable Miranda Blake (Elen Rhys), and German detective Max Winter (Julian Looman) as they solve crimes on the island.
BITCON
A KIDNAPPING of two expats foiled by Spanish police last year is linked to an enormous crypto currency scandal set to rock the country, the Olive Press can reveal. The incredible drama which saw the couple held for several hours took place after hundreds of investors feared they had lost as much as €70 million in the ‘crypto scam’. The snatching of Russian Pavel Sidirov and his wife in June was initially treated by police as routine extortion, as we reported at the time. The couple had been kidnapped outside their villa in El Campello, Alicante, by two bogus cops flashing fake Guardia Civil badges and a Russian woman acting as an interpreter. They were bundled into a car, stripped and the wife was tied up and used as a hostage. The gang then threatened both their lives if they did not hand over the codes to a crypto wallet containing millions. Tech guru Sidirov cleverly bought time by telling the gang that the codes were distributed in 12 separate houses that they would have to go to individually to fetch. And in one of them - with his wife still bound and gagged in the boot of the car - Sidirov was able to call his lawyer for help. The lawyer alerted the police, who were quickly on the scene to catch the kidnappers. Police arrested six people, including a retired Guardia Civil officer, while the alleged ringleader, Carlos Garrido (pictured), handed himself in in the ensuing days to deny he was a criminal. Insisting he wasn’t a criminal, he claimed the scheme was a minor matter and he was merely representing a group of investors trying to recover €2
EXCLUSIVE: Kidnap, crypto and the Russians: The multimillion-euro scandal that may have defrauded hundreds in Spain By Walter Finch
million ‘owed to them’ by Sidirov. While it seemed to be the end of the matter, the Olive Press can reveal today that the kidnapping is just a small part of a much bigger scandal that is set to engulf the already beleaguered crypto industry. The kidnapping is linked to a Gibraltar-linked crypto firm that has become immersed in a murky world of trading failures. According to well placed sources, hundreds of frantic investors are now scrambling to recover their funds from the trading platform Globix, which at its peak had almost €150 million under management. Over the last few months it has gradually become clear to investors, based in Gibraltar and Spain, that Globix has allegedly lost as much as two thirds of this enormous sum. And in a bizarre twist, the Olive Press can reveal that the remaining €40 million is apparently in the hands of a shady IT firm based in Ukraine. It happened after Sidirov activated a mechanism during his kidnap that sent the codes to Globix’s partners in Kyiv. An independent investigation by a well known Gibraltar financial company told investors they had been struggling to get any money back from Ukraine. It added the CEO of the Kyiv-based firm had ‘not
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HEALTHY WAGE
THERE are 250% ries about men more news stocording to a new than women, acstudy. The report by Spanish Llorente & Cuenca, firm, that women feature also reveals 21% less in the headlines. FOR women Moreover, when a demanding looking to embark on pear in articles women do apsector, making career in the health explicit mentionthere is often an amount for theirsure they earn a fair and family and of their gender a driving factor hard work could be in deciding where relocate. prominent than their sex is more to their identity. Spain has been “An example countries for named one of the top could be the would be; ‘A woman WOMAN’S place women in health new president is in the according to new US’ rather than care, of home. And the data by Lenstore. ‘Kamala Harris the The country, strong candidate In fact, it is boardroom. is a for presidency’,” found to offer at ninth position, was a spokesman damn pleases,anywhere she some of the best explained, tunities in Europe. particularly in opporthis day that there is a bias, which adding But as and age in Spain. This is down women invisible makes to a number another including average of factors and anonymous. woman’s work old adage goes, a It working hours, is both is never done. yearly salary, there is no doubt, And ing that exhausting and astonishthe number of holiday allowance and we often have in 2023 women Speaking fight twice as women in the to fight of still have to hard to get the industry. continues to the future, one that But upon closer inspection deserve and speak pay we Take for the bare minimum. pay women less of the Lenstore equal twice as loud have our voices than rope study, Spain and the rest to forward in pay. It is fairly straight- men or discriminates against of Euhave a long way heard in the workprinciple: creating one is a discredit place. any- ity is achieved. to go until equalty of opportunity equali- Businesses to us all. THE average woman You’d for all, be In irrespective should in Spain earns hard Spain the average of gender, race, 20% less than of course be woman, even pressed to find a orientation. religion or sexual making gender equality female pay for health professionals in 2023, have suffered men and half of them been stands at called ‘darling’, who hasn’t the biggest But somehow some of pay a key foundation of and equal €29,800 lower What’s more, abuse at work. than success. It erage ‘sweetheart’ is the right thing brains in business or ‘gorgeous’ The burden of annual salary the €39,616 avto do. and unpaid work still Indeed care boardroom. in the office, and even struggle to grasp the concept. for men. Meanwhile it is a falls mainly As we face another women while the Spanish shame that in 2021 ranked as in France, which was companies close on And sadly, that’s economic the best country doors to management the ly. Complaining getting off light- turn in the wake of coronavirusdown- had no choiceGovernment felt they to be a female in Europe positions. as the but healthcare professionAccording to the Spanish National of ‘compliments’about these kinds again Ukraine war starts to rampand ensure that women to intervene to al, women still make Institute of Statistics, in the country €7,000 a it is clearer up are often isn’t an average of year the average your breath, since it’ll most worth old systems are than ever that our Nowgiven the same pay as men. salary for men counterparts. less than their male likely be turn. businesses failing us at every in Spain is €26,369 brushed off by colleagues whereas for women they are doing, have to share what The UK came in of banter.’ as a ‘bit It is sixth place overall, because Moreover, 93,6% it is €21,682. time to challenge with A working woman the status quo be trusted to do the right they can’t loweraverage female pay at £30,059, of people work part-time now knows she and do away with outdated thing. than the £43,953 Just look at women to take care of who has to pick her battles, of working average annumodes dren and the elderly in healthcare. al salary for men. chil- tunately a daily scuffle and unfor- helping to - and women need to be Research last year found that And the Ministry are women. was one of the Spain of Equality states dinosaurs over terms with balding Women usher in the new dawn. that 57.3% of are just as productive female health best places to be a ment - or endowment of endear- determined women have suffered professional gender violence and rope, ranking - has to be as their male sidelined and 13.2% have eighth, while in Eucounterfered sexual violence. suf- such as for more pressing matters parts, and businesses need to rec- tors and nurses are ranked its docpay, fair treatment ognise this. And the top three in among sic respect. and ba- quotas not just because Europe. of A cause but to for celebration? SPAIN es and a betterbuild better business- male future for everyone. doctors and nursesHardly. Fe- mentaryhas far more female parliarepresentation here are earning an average than the of €10,000 less average in European countries. than their male The 252 women sitting WOMEN don’t in Spain’s upper and lower counterpar washing powder.take their kids to school in houses repret s sent 42.4% heels carrying (see of seats, compared A recent study Healthy a a box of has found that European average wage, to trayals of themselves 94% of women above a global of don’t identify with right). share of 26.6%.31.1% and The questionnaire in advertising campaigns. porAnd for those The figures, collated from 17 sectors, of 2000 women who were by anawho brand the lysts IPU Parline, used in adverts. found they totally disagreed shown 20,000 adverts Indeed, according with the way they while women make fight for equal Europe the mostreveal that in are to the study by up 88% of consumer Havas Media, feel properly represented. pay as propa- countries for women represented decisions, an alarming are Iceland Meanwhile 40% ganda coming (47.6%), Andorra, 6% of ads are ‘sexist’ Sweden (both Users’ Communication from ‘male-hat- 46.4%) Norway (46.2%), according to the (AUC). Association of Sometimes it’s Finland ing feminists’, (45.5%), Denmark a case of ‘sneaky (43.6%) Belgent into the machine gium (42.7%) sexism’ - a woman remember and North Macedowe’re for example - while pouring deterIn the UK an sticking it to the nia (42.5%). outrage, it hadNHS stay at home Covid adat other times it's overt. This puts Spain man, not men. to be removed. (right) caused the kids, mopping, so It portrayed a rope and 22nd at ninth in EuOur brilliance woman at homemuch in the world. while, her husband while ironing with a baby is The country with in our diversity. in her arms. Meansat on the sofa. with male parliamentari the most feRecognise it. is Rwanda ans by share EQUALITY: But Celebrate it. Re(61.3%) followed not in UK homes Cuba by ward it. And according to NHS re- (51.7%).(53.4%) and Nicaragua ward it equally. That’s just good The UK is 48th world-wide 34.5% of its with business sense. being women. parliamentarians
been forthcoming’ in his efforts to return the money and was ‘now under arrest’. A statement issued to investors in January, seen by the Olive Press, reads: “The police have been contacted, as has the Ministry (of Finance) and collectively we are hopeful that they will ensure the process is completed satisfactorily.” It added: “We have the Ukrainian special police involved and they have arrested three individuals. They are looking for a fourth individual. These people hold the data that is needed to facilitate the final transfer.” While this has been hard to independently verify, Globix’ website has not been functioning since November, when a statement was put up reading: ‘We will not be taking on any more accounts’. When contacted by the Olive Press for comment, the alleged boss of Globix dismissed all the allegations against him and his company as ‘lies’. The Gibraltarian, who lists himself on LinkedIn as a ‘crypto mining broker’, said: “I’m not allowed to speak about that at the moment. Sorry.” He added: “Basically someone is shit stirring and if you have any evidence send it to me. On top of that it’s still ‘secreto sumario’ at Alicante court so you should talk to the court.” According to his CV he attended the Tambov University, in Russia, before setting up ‘a crypto mining farm in Russia in conjunction with a Russian team’. Opinion Page 6