The president has supported the new network of men politicians for equality: "We have a great responsibility."

President Imanol Pradales said on Monday  that men must take "a great responsibility" to move towards real equality between women and men, especially men with public responsibilities. Pradales made these statements during the presentation of the new network of men politicians for equality in Vitoria, organized jointly by the Spanish Women's Institute and Emakunde.

In the President's view, policymakers not only make decisions, they are also a reference for leadership models , and they must opt for a "fairer, more shared, and more egalitarian" model.

We still have some privileges.

Pradales has argued that achieving equality is a task for society as a whole, but that men have a "special responsibility" because they still have "certain privileges" as a collective: "More political power, more free time, because we still do not take on domestic and care tasks in a balanced manner, higher incomes..." Along with that, he said, "we are not victims of male violence,"which "gives us more freedom to move."

For the president, "significant progress" has been made in recent decades, but inequality between women and men is "still a reality." Moreover, today , "civic values and democracy are at risk, and authoritarian leadership based on toxic masculinity is becoming increasingly strong, "he warned.

Therefore, in order to move towards an equal society, "it is important to have political representatives who are aware, trained and committed", and the network of political men for equality is "one more step" in this objective.

For her part, Emakunde's director, Mira Elgarresta, has said that it is a "priority" to work with political men because they can influence equality policies, "especially in a global context of anti-feminist and anti-democratic reactiondriven by autocratic male leaders. "