Andorra's International Women's Day Focuses on Shared Childcare Amid Equal Birth Leave Approval

Andorra's International Women's Day programme on 8 March centres on shared childcare responsibilities, coinciding with the General Council's anticipated approval of equal birth leave legislation in the coming weeks.

Secretary of State for Equality and Citizen Participation Mariona Cadena outlined the events, stressing that the law's provisions require accompanying awareness efforts to promote genuine co-responsibility in child-rearing. A significant update in the final bill, distinct from the government's September 2024 draft, applies retroactivity to the second parent's leave for children born from 1 January 2026 until the law takes effect. This raises the entitlement from four to six weeks that year, ensuring equal conditions for all 2026 births, followed by a gradual increase to 20 weeks per parent. Cadena described the measure as a cultural transformation that advances gender equality and social cohesion, reinforces family bonds, eases women's longstanding caregiving loads, prioritises child welfare, and supports fair employment opportunities. She acknowledged the 20-week target as ambitious yet vital, with phased rollout enabling adaptation by businesses and society.

The schedule features storytelling sessions titled *Guapa* on 3 March at 6pm in Escaldes-Engordany's community hall, addressing aesthetic pressures on young girls, including the use of creams and makeup at ever-younger ages, a trend Cadena flagged as concerning. On 5 March at 6.30pm in Andorra la Vella's Congress Centre, the 2025 Goya-nominated short *Cuarentena* by Celia de Molina screens, followed by a discussion with women's associations and equality experts on maternity's physical, emotional, social, and professional impacts, alongside work-life balance and authentic shared childcare. Public administration staff will receive purple ribbons, while roadside displays carry the four-year equality plan's slogan "8M: som totes". Cadena noted that around 80% of companies now operate effective equality plans, with her department supporting the remaining 20% through tailored guidance to close pay gaps, improve reconciliation, and prevent discrimination.

In a landmark pre-8 March gathering, some 50-53 elected women from the General Council, government, seven parishes, and institutions filled the parliamentary chamber. Deputy General Syndic Sandra Codina opened the event, portraying equality as an ongoing societal process rather than a fixed achievement. They issued a joint declaration acknowledging Law 6/2022 as a significant step but emphasising it as a foundation requiring resources, monitoring, and full rollout to address social, economic, and cultural disparities. The text spotlighted inadequate female leadership in business, sports, and media; digital violence through degrading comments harming mental health and civic engagement; the need for sex-disaggregated data; shared obligations for media and platforms; backing for criminalising online abuse; voluntary pregnancy termination regulation respecting varied viewpoints; and equality as an inherent right. Readers included Cònsol Major Laura Mas for the parishes, councillors Maria Àngels Aché, Laia Moliné, and Berna Coma for the Council, and Cadena for the government. Andorra Endavant representatives, including Carine Montaner and Noemí Amador, were notably absent; Montaner later defended the no-show by prioritising "concrete actions" like full equalisation of parental leave by 2027, criticising the bill's gradual timeline.

Cadena affirmed the legitimacy of a Sunday demonstration by Acció Feminista, deferred abortion decriminalisation talks with the Holy See to Minister Ladislau Baró, and confirmed her presence at a UN Commission on the Status of Women session in New York on 8 March.