Every March 8, the same question reappears: if so much progress has already been made, have we gone too far with equality? Spain is, on paper, a pioneering country, with equality laws. However, according to the Eurobarometer, a quarter of the population does not agree that more diversity is beneficial. Understanding this disconnection between policies and social perception is key. Without social legitimacy there are no lasting reforms. With more than 20 years of experience in economic research and human resources management, we analyze how to turn equality into shared improvement. A basic economic principle is that societies prosper when talent is allocated where it contributes the most value. This is key in economies such as Spain and Europe, affected by demographic aging, low birth rates and a shortage of qualified profiles. If capabilities are distributed similarly in the population, but 50% of the talent is not developed or channeled into positions with the highest added value, the result is underutilized human capital. This limits sustainable growth, innovation and long-term competitiveness. Inequality is not only a problem of justice, but it reduces potential economic growth and weakens well-being. Spain has made great progress, but the most relevant inequalities persist where it matters most. Female labor participation has doubled in the last half century and is now around 53%, compared to 62% for men. However, according to studies by Atrevia and Eje&Con, progress slows down in decision-making. Although Spain is the fifth country in the European Union (EU) in terms of female presence on boards (39.4%, compared to 33.8% in Europe), only 19.1% of executive positions are occupied by women, below the EU average. Likewise, the staff and remuneration data analyzed show that women represent 60% at entry levels, but less than 25% in management positions, even with equal training and performance. Talent arrives at the door of power; It is still difficult to reach the helm. The diagnosis has two aspects. On the supply side, our research documents the motherhood penalty: after the arrival of children, many women reduce their working hours, opt for less demanding jobs or leave the labor market, not because of a lack of ambition, but because the costs of conciliation continue to fall mostly on them. On the demand side, the bottleneck generated by professional trajectories and the internal decisions of organizations is compounded by evidence, also from Seville, that discriminatory practices such as sexual harassment are more endemic than previously thought and affect around 30% of women throughout their working lives. The evidence suggests that the problem is not having gone too far, but rather not having arrived well. Companies do not act outside the rules, but rather respond to the incentives of the institutional frameworks in which they operate. The Covid experience is revealing: the reason why teleworking was not used before was not technical, because the technology already existed. When incentives changed in the wake of the pandemic, companies adapted quickly and without loss of productivity. There is no need to wait for another pandemic: it is possible to design a regulatory framework that questions obsolete practices and changes how organizations work, treating equality as a factor of competitiveness and good governance. To do this, it is enough to effectively integrate three basic steps—measure, compare and act—and accompany them with a clear public story: advancing equality does not take away opportunities, it expands the group of people who can fully contribute.Almudena Seville She is a professor of Economics and Social Policy at the London School of Economics. Francisca Beloso She is a director of Human Resources and Inclusion and a member of the Eje&Con Diversity and Trends Observatory.
