mayor of Girona, Luke SalellasHe wanted to claim, shortly after taking office, that he was trying to reconcile the position with his daughters. He takes them to school and allocates two afternoon periods to spend with them: “I accompany my daughters to school Pericot de Girona, because it is a commitment I have, and a will,” he explained in an interview with TV3.
mayor of sabadell, Marta KnightHe also searches for spaces for family reconciliation. He has a twelve-year-old daughter and spends time with her before she goes to high school, making her a sandwich and spending every afternoon he can. we realize that A mother and mother-in-law are essential to being able to access everything: “For me, the family network is what allows me to dedicate myself to my career,” Faris explains to TV3.
In addition, her partner, Paco Aranda, is a member of the PSC in Congress and therefore spends half the week in Madrid. Mainly takes care of Mondays and Fridays On the weekend they try to spend as much time together as possiblealthough they usually have to attend party or corporate events.
Postpone meetings so you can accompany the children to school
Once they finish taking care of their daughters, Salellas and Varys go to City Hall and begin their day with meetings and events. Girona and Sabadell have made the decision Do not schedule any government team meetings before 10:15Because this way they make room for everyone to bring the scoundrel to school.
They both recognize a certain contradiction between the desire to project an image of service to the city and, at the same time, reconciliation. Salias asserts that:You can't do both 100 percentBecause if you want to listen to everyone, you will need to do that all day long, and if you want to be with your family much more, you will not fulfill your obligations as mayor or mayor. He adds that it is about “finding compensation or an organization.”
The importance of role models despite the contradictions
“You have the ambivalence of believing that you have to be there,” the mayor of Sabadell admits, because if you don’t they will ask you “why aren’t you there.” However, Farris explains, “people understand it more and more.”
They both consider it necessary to be role models “in a society that is still very sexist and does not appreciate the importance of caring tasks,” says Salillas.
Knight thinks so The fact that “more women have come to drive” has improved the situation:
“Twenty years ago they were men of a certain generation, and we women were young and we talked a little to each other, but we didn’t socialize much.”
“Now, on the other hand, it is said normally and the council members reconcile like the council members,” he adds.
Nuria Verghese, Managing Director of Cares, Time Organization and Equity at Work, also believes that having more women in positions of responsibility is key: “This makes needs and possible solutions visibleBecause in the end, when women come and fix this matchmaking issue, they fix it for women, but they also fix it for men, because men also benefit a lot from it.”
A national challenge that transcends politics
Work-life balance is one of the outstanding topics for Catalans, according to the comprehensive survey conducted by the Center for Opinion Studies, published at the end of January.
more than one 40% of the sample complained of their inability to reconcile as much as they wanted. They claim that work does not always or often allow them to have the free time they would like, rest as much as they need, or spend time with their family or partners. It is a perception shared by all participants regardless of education level and also affects politicians.
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