"Las masculinidades positivas", para avanzar hacia una sociedad más igualitaria

Positive Masculinities Focus a Day of Reflection to Advance Towards a More Egalitarian Society Leading experts from across the country analyzed the role of education, prevention, and collective commitment in the fight against gender violence in Ingenio. Equality and the prevention of gender violence require the commitment of all of society and constant reflection. Under this premise, the Ingenio City Council held the conference "Positive Masculinities for Advancing Equality and Preventing Gender Violence" on Wednesday, June 17th. This initiative was organized by the Department of Equality and Diversity and funded through the State Pact against Gender Violence. The event, which brought together professionals from various fields and the general public, began with opening remarks by the mayor, Vanesa Martín, and the councilor for Equality and Diversity, Óliver Navarro. The day began with a screening of the choreography ‘In Maria’s World,’ an artistic piece that used dance to represent the fear and dynamics of control present in abusive relationships, serving as the central theme of the day. The first panel discussion featured forensic physician, professor, and writer Miguel Lorente Acosta and lawyer and former director of the Andalusian Women’s Institute, Soledad Pérez Rodríguez. The program continued with a video presentation by psychologist Laura Berja, who emphasized the need for a community-based response to gender-based violence, understanding it as a reality that challenges all of society. She also championed the strategic role of professionals as community agents of change and highlighted the importance of specialization, the creation of safe spaces, co-education, and breaking the community silence surrounding the issue. Political scientist Beatriz Rubiño also participated via audiovisual format, addressing masculinities from an LGBTQ+ perspective. She pointed out that discussing gender violence involves analyzing the cultural roots that sustain it and the mandates associated with hegemonic masculinity. Furthermore, she defended the need to promote positive masculinities from an intersectional and diverse perspective. Sociologist and professor Carmen Ruiz Repullo focused her presentation on preventative work with young people through her talk, "Pepe and Pepa's Ladder." Drawing on her experience in schools, she warned about the influence of social media and certain digital content that reinforces misogynistic discourses and unequal relationship models. The specialist explained how certain online phenomena foster new forms of control and gender stereotypes among adolescents and young adults, emphasizing the importance of listening to this group and developing ongoing educational programs—a painstaking, hands-on effort, as she described it. “If we don’t listen to adolescents, we won’t prevent violence,” she stated, also emphasizing the need to strengthen training for teachers, healthcare personnel, and those working in educational and leisure activities. The day concluded with a question-and-answer session and an exchange of ideas between attendees and participating experts, fostering dialogue and the collective development of proposals. Taking advantage of Miguel Lorente Acosta’s presence, the program closed with the presentation of his latest book, ‘Influenceable: Networks and the New Obedience,’ a work in which the author analyzes how the internet and social media can contribute to the loss of critical thinking and generate new forms of social influence based on misinformation, hoaxes, and polarization. With this initiative, the Ingenio City Council reaffirms its commitment to promoting effective equality between women and men and to developing training and awareness-raising activities that contribute to preventing gender-based violence from a comprehensive and community-based perspective.