This is the reason behind the desire for strong masculinity
Photo Canva.com, EPA, Robert Ghement
Christian Life
In less than three decades, Spain saw an increase in inclusivity and the number of migrants. Its army, however, deteriorated. Interestingly, there is a connection between these givens, says Jorge Ruiz. And it is feminism.
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In the last 25 years, Spain has transitioned from the absolute majority government of the Popular Party under Aznar in 2000 to the current minority government of the Socialist Party under Sánchez, which relies on far-left parties and the Catalan and Basque separatist parties, a government in a state of permanent weakness.
When it comes to the army, a topic highly significant in the light of “Ukraine”, Spain has seen a significant transformation in its military structure in the first quarter of the century. The country went from having a military force of 350,000 to the current mixed-gender force of 120,000 personnel. Throughout this period, Spain has never met the 2 per cent defence spending commitment agreed upon at the 2014 NATO Summit in Wales.
Also, Spain’s police force is subject to upcoming changes. Today, about 12 per cent of the law officers are women (in total nearly 20,000). However, the Interior Ministry wants to increase that number to 40 per cent by 2030.
Historic milestone
Let’s look at another transformation in Spanish society. With 1.16 children per woman, Spain remains one of the countries in Europe and the world with the lowest fertility rate. However, its population has increased from 40 million in 2000 to nearly 49 million today. That means that the foreign-born population has surged from nearly 1 million in 2000 to almost 6.5 million today. In addition, the fertility rate among Muslims in Spain currently averages 3.5 children per woman and strongly outnumbers the fertility rate of native Spanish people.
As a result, Islam has become Spain’s second-largest religion (with 2.5 million adherents), and Protestantism has surpassed 1.5 million members. This marks a historic milestone, yet it remains insufficient in the broader national context.
Massive inclusion
Could there be a connection between these seemingly unrelated statistics? One possible perspective is this: feminism.
The left-wing parties currently governing Spain have been the main drivers of feminist ideology over the past 25 years, promoting the massive inclusion of women in all areas of the workforce, including the police and the military.
Feminist ideology has also championed abortion to the point that it is now considered a “right,” not yet classified as “fundamental,” but practically so in reality. Over the past 25 years, there have been approximately 2.5 million abortions in Spain. Of course, that does not have a positive impact on the national fertility rate.
The combination of Spain’s “demographic winter,” sustained high levels of immigration, and the high fertility rates among Muslims could lead to a Muslim-majority country within a few decades. If the current trend continues, this shift may occur in the second half of the 21st century — perhaps even sooner.
To complete this analysis, let us consider a more recent issue: International Women’s Day on March 8, the quintessential day of feminism. In 2000, only 1,000 people took to the streets of Madrid to protest. By 2020 —just one week before Spain entered COVID lockdowns— 120,000 people marched in Madrid alone, with 600,000 protesting across the country. However, this year, the official count was only 34,000 protesters in Madrid.
Rape
It is evident, then, that despite immense propagandistic support from various governments and the numerous feminist laws introduced —mainly by left-wing governments, which have ruled Spain for 14 of the last 24 years— feminism is in crisis in Spain.
This may also be due in part to recent sexual abuse scandals involving prominent left-wing leaders, who were responsible for enacting some of the most feminist laws in the world, such as the “Only Yes Means Yes law”. This law removed the legal distinction—and therefore differences in prison sentences— between sexual abuse and rape, resulting in reduced sentences and even releases for over a thousand convicted rapists.
The same parties that have spearheaded the feminist movement in Spain are now defending the use of the Islamic veil in Spanish schools. Without delving into the specifics of this issue, it is clear that for those outside this ideological framework, such a position is riddled with contradictions. When a movement defends both one position and its opposite, its credibility inevitably collapses. Feminism is not only eroding from within but also paving the way for its own disappearance.
Reality
With that said, what is the usually unspoken consequence of the imposition of feminism in Spain — the official ideology of the regime? Young men in Spain have become overwhelmingly and openly conservative. This is the reality.
In addition, these young men are looking for a way to re-enforce their masculinity. Half of young men under 30 regularly attend the gym. The same trend applies to tattoos — Spain is one of the most tattooed countries in the world.
These are signs of an upcoming cult of masculinity, of strength, with a certain pagan air. Podcasts and social media channels dedicated to male-focused content (the so-called “manosphere”) have exploded in popularity, as has the “red pill” movement.
Nationalism
Clearly, a movement in reaction against feminist imposition is underway — one that is comparable to what is occurring in other European and American countries, and which is tied to the rise of so-called far-right parties and the resurgence of nationalism. Sociology has detected this shift, but the media rarely addresses it — perhaps because no effort is being made to understand properly the phenomenon.
From a Christian perspective, there are certain shared concerns with this resurgence of masculinity. The male desire for masculinity is natural, and Christians do not oppose reality as it has been created by God.
However, this idea of masculinity should not be equalled to Christianity. The solution to feminist paganism is not masculinist paganism. Likewise, Christianity —the truly universal faith— must not be confused with nationalist tribalism.
This, then, is the great crossroads at which we find ourselves and to which the Christian Church must respond with the faithful teaching of the entire Word of God: “Ye shall observe to do therefore as the LORD your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left” (Deuteronomy 5:32).
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