CATALONIA – The Catalan regional government on Wednesday presented a revolutionary development for the Catalan police force. The Generalitat makes various demands to increase the number of women in the Mossos d´Escuadra, from civil servants to firefighters, and police.
The Generalitat wants at least 40% of all new positions within the Mossos d’Escuadra to be occupied by women. Consequently, the Generalitat of Catalonia hopes to make a big difference in the field of emancipation within the Mossos d’Escuadra. The current distribution of men and women among the functions within this apparatus is unacceptable according to the Catalan Minister of the Interior.
Official Tweet by @InteriorCat
👩🏼✈️👩🏼🚒 Avancem amb el compromís d'uns cossos inclusius, paritaris i representatius de la nostra societat: reservem un 40% de les places en les convocatòries d'accés per a dones.
Provoquem el canvi. Serem més, serem iguals, #seremmillors. @bomberscat @mossos @agentsruralscat pic.twitter.com/hvluqSC7Ib
— Interior (@interiorcat) January 12, 2022
How many women are there now in the Mossos d’Escuadra?
Currently, 24% of Mossos police officers are female. In rural areas, this is an average of 13%. Whereas, in the Mossos fire and emergency services, only 2% of positions are occupied by women.
Exams and entry requirements of the Catalan Security Service are under review
137 women were admitted to the final exam for the Mossos d’Escuadra. Three exams are planned for 2022 for various positions. For these future exams, the minister has determined that at least 40% of the new positions will be given to women.
To achieve this, the strict selection procedures, in particular the physical tests, are reviewed and, if necessary, adapted so that they can be passed just as easily by women as men.
Development of women’s share Mossos dramatically slow
Three women within the Mossos d’Escuadra discuss with the Spanish newspaper El Periódico the dramatically slow development of women within the autonomous security service of Catalonia. In 1980 there were only three female firefighters. Since then, the growth in the number of women in the fire service has been excruciatingly slow. The Catalan fire brigade is still the corps with the most men.
New Generalitat requirement revolutionises Mossos d’Escuadra
When it comes to the Mossos d’Escuadra police force, one in four officers is a woman. While this is already a significant improvement over the fire service, the female proportion is decreasing as the rank increases. The obligation to assign at least 40% of new positions to women will revolutionise the Catalan security service.
