Spain's new cabinet shows that men can be better than women at achieving gender diversity in politics

Men like Justin Trudeau, Emmanuel Macron and Pedro Sanchez are probably doing more to pass on political power to women than some of their female counterparts

The recently elected Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez has appointed 11 women as ministers – more than any other cabinet in the world (Reuters)

The new Spanish cabinet has more women in it than any other cabinet in the world. The recently elected Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez has appointed 11 women and six men as ministers. As a result, this is the first Spanish cabinet with 64.7 per cent female representation.

Regardless of ideological and political views, the strong female component of this cabinet represents a remarkable achievement for Spain. Until 1975, under the dictatorship of Franco, Spanish women could not get a job, own property, open a bank account or even apply for a passport without their husband’s permission.

The presence of so many women in cabinet is a powerful symbol for our girls, 43 years on from a dictatorship. Young women are more likely to want to be ministers if they can see female prime ministers and leaders in the governments of their own countries.

The Spanish cabinet stands out in the context of wider Europe. Though various European countries have already had governments with gender parity, no cabinet has ever reached 64 per cent female representation in the whole history of Europe. Only Finland came close in 2015, with 62.5 per cent women.

Taking a closer look at those European figures, it is interesting to observe that female representation in cabinets does not depend on whether prime ministers are female or male. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel has appointed a cabinet with only 44 per cent women. And in the UK, Theresa May has appointed a cabinet with barely 26 per cent women ministers.

In other words, women at the top do not necessarily opt for governments with strong female representation, even when female leaders such as Theresa May declare the need to get more women into politics. In fact, the best performing European cabinets in terms of gender balance after Spain are France and Sweden, whose governments are led by men.

The reaction of other governments to the new Spanish cabinet has been also worth noting. While most governments, including those with female leaders such as Merkel and May, have simply sent perfunctory congratulations, it has been a government led by a man, the Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, who has put the public focus on the merits of strong female representation. Speaking about the new Spanish cabinet, he said: “One day this won’t make headlines … until then we celebrate each positive step forward.”

Many people think that only women in power can deliver more opportunities for women. That it takes “one of our own” to open up the path of power to all.

That is clearly not the case. Men like Justin Trudeau, Emmanuel Macron and Pedro Sanchez are probably doing more to pass on political power to women than some of their female counterparts. And some male leaders openly push for progressive policies on childcare, parental leave and gender pay more than some female prime ministers like Theresa May ever has.

Macron, for example, announced last year that gender equality would be a “national cause”: regardless of the criticisms that one can make about whether he is truly delivering on this yet, it is fair to recognise that very few female leaders are daring to tackle equality in such openly ambitious terms.

There are many possible explanations for the poor record of some female leaders on equality policies and gender parity cabinets: perhaps some are trying not to conform to expectations; or perhaps some fear a political push-back simply because they are women.

Who knows. But in my view, there is a simple explanation for all this: whether politicians are determined to build a more gender-equal society does not depend on whether they are female or male. In the end, it comes down more to a leader’s values and his or her willingness to act on them, rather than on their chromosomes.

Miriam Gonzalez Durantez is an ‎international trade lawyer and founder of Inspiring Girls