This work analyses the advances in regard to gender equality which have contributed to the fact that Spain ranks among the 10 leading countries in the latest edition of the Gender Gap Report by the World Economic Forum. This progress is mostly due to the improvement in the political representation of women in ministerial positions and in parliament. However, the economic participation of women in Spain evidences extensive room for improvement, especially in relation to the representation in corporate leadership positions and to a worrying underrepresentation in the emerging professions resulting from the digital transformation. To conclude, the work offers a series of recommendations for improving the economic empowerment of women when it comes to reaching positions of high corporate responsibility. It also recommends to prevent and improve the future economic gap in respect to women’s underrepresentation in science, research and technology professions.

Once the Royal Decree-Law 6/2019 of 1 March, incorporating and including the new configuration for parental leave, has been completely rolled out, Spain will have obtained formal equality between men and women with respect to said leave. Starting from a description of reality in the country regarding gender biases in the labour and domestic spheres and with the support of the specialised literature, this article argues why the reform of parental leave, although it should make a contribution in the path towards effective equality, does not look to be enough for improving the current situation in a significant way. Working from this information, the way in which a new reform should be conceived is also proposed, and there is a reflection on whether a country such as Spain could pay for its cost. Finally, there is an analysis of the need for a double involve- ment of the state and the business world, along with the need for obtaining the requisite disruptive change, not only in terms of democratic qualities but also in terms of competitive advantage in the new socioeconomic paradigm.