Training Policy Brief

How to better protect women’s health and safety at work in Spain?

Equality between women and men in the workplace is not only an objective of democratic societies but also an indicator of development that must transform political agendas. In Spain, with a labour force participation rate for women of 46%, the figure of accidents at work disaggregated by gender does not show such parity, which is a considerable gap in the labour market. In 2019 these figures were: 404,603 men versus 158,153 women (representing 28%) according to INE (National Statistics Institute) data. It is also argued that most of the accidents that women have are linked to repetitive movements and forced postures that cause or may cause musculoskeletal disorders. This policy brief aims to highlight the main shortcomings of preventive legislation without a gender approach and to offer guidelines for better protection of women's health and safety at work beyond the protection of reproductive health.