Culture and gender perspectives in the city of Barcelona

In recent years, many countries and local governments have paid special attention to the circumstances and needs of women as creators and producers of diverse artistic expressions. In many cities, inclusion of gender equality in the political agenda has emerged at the hand of feminist movements and the activism of professionals in the cultural sector. This article aims to explore the role of Barcelona as a laboratory city for good practices in the field of culture and gender. Based on a prior diagnosis of gender inequalities in the field of arts and culture in the city as well as original research using a qualitative methodology, we carried out a series of semi-structured interviews with leading professionals in the field of culture and gender. We also analysed different cases of innovative experiences in the cultural fields of several Barcelonian neighbourhoods. The article concluded that, although the feminist movements and cultural sector of Barcelona have worked to place gender equality on the political-institutional agenda, there is still a long way to go to implement programmatic initiatives able to transform our society.