The Secretary of State for Equality and Gender Violence (SEIVG) of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

is a senior minister within the Spanish Department of Equality. It is a political appointment made by the

Monarch A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority and power i ...

with the advice of the minister in charge of the ministerial department. The Secretary of State for Equality is responsible for proposing and developing the Government's policies on equality, prevention and elimination of all kinds of discrimination against persons based on

sex Sex is the trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing animal or plant produces male or female gametes. Male plants and animals produce smaller mobile gametes (spermatozoa, sperm, pollen), while females produce larger ones ( ova, of ...

racial A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

ethnic origin An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...

or ideology,

sexual orientation Sexual orientation is an enduring pattern of romantic or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. These attractions are generall ...

or identity of gender, age,

disability Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, ...

or any other condition or personal or social circumstance, and of eradication of the different forms of

violence against women Violence against women (VAW), also known as gender-based violence and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), are violent acts primarily or exclusively committed against women or girls, usually by men or boys. Such violence is often con ...

, as well as violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons (LGBTI) and within the affective relationships of these. From Secretariat of State depend two departments, the Directorate-General for Equality of Treatment and Diversity and the Government Delegation for Gender Violence.

History

The Government's equality policies got a greater leadership during the governments of PM José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. At the very first, the equality department was within the

Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian mi ...

with the level of a General Secretariat between 2004 and 2008. In 2008, after Zapatero's reelection, he elevated this department to a ministerial level, creating the Ministry of Equality until 2010 when the Ministry merged with the Ministry of Health and the Secretariat of State of Equality was properly created. During the governments of PM

Mariano Rajoy Mariano Rajoy Brey (; born 27 March 1955) is a Spanish politician who served as Prime Minister of Spain from 2011 to 2018, when a vote of no confidence ousted his government. On 5 June 2018, he announced his resignation as People's Party lead ...

, the Secretariat merged with the Secretariat of State of Social Services creating the Secretariat of State of Social Services and Equality between very late 2011 and middle 2018. In 2018, with the arrival of PM

Pedro Sánchez Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón (; born 29 February 1972) is a Spanish politician who has been Prime Minister of Spain since June 2018. He has also been Secretary-General of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) since June 2017, having pr ...

the Secretariat of State recovered its full autonomy and importance when it was integrated in the Ministry of the Presidency, with the direct supervision of the

Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president ...

. In January 2020, the Ministry of Equality was re-established and the Secretariat of State was integrated into it.

Structure

From the Secretary of State depends the following officials: * The Director-General for Equality of Treatment and Diversity ** The Deputy Director-General for Equality of Treatment and Non-Discrimination ** The Council for the Elimination of Racial or Ethnic Discrimination * The Government Delegation for Gender Violence ** The Deputy Director-General for Sensitization, Prevention and Knowledge of Gender-based Violence ** The Deputy Director-General for Inter-institutional Coordination in Gender Violence ** The State Observatory on Violence against Women * The Cabinet of the Secretary of State for Equality ** The

Chef de Cabinet In several French-speaking countries and international organisations, a (French; literally 'head of office') is a senior civil servant or official who acts as an aide or private secretary to a high-ranking government figure, typically a minist ...

** Three Advisors

List of secretaries of state

Before this office was created, all its duties were carried out by the Secretary General for Equality first and by the Minister of Equality later.

References

{{Reflist Secretaries of State of Spain Equality rights