21st-century feminism: the struggle continues

Finalitzem el recorregut cronològic que ens ha apropat a la història de la reivindicació del ‘jo femení’, a través de cinc dones que han marcat el curs de la història contemporània, escrita en femení i des de casa nostra. Segles d’història que han donat peu a petites i grans victòries per a la normalització d’un punt de vista basat en pures convencions socials que poc tenen a veure amb la naturalesa humana. Ara, el feminisme al segle XXI continua alçant la veu per una de les reivindicacions històriques més antigues: la igualtat entre dones i homes.

Mirar enrere ens serveix per a comprovar que, malgrat que la història ha estat escrita per homes, les dones han tingut un paper clau. En tots els àmbits i des de totes les lluites. Protagonistes a l’ombra de la història de la humanitat, on cada lluita i cada dret adquirit a favor del gènere femení s’ha debatut de nou més endavant. Una història circular que ens evoca constantment i independentment del país o del moment a un mateix punt: tot el camí recorregut ens ha permès avançar, en més o menys mesura, segons la societat i el prisma subjectiu amb el qual ho mirem. Un avenç, però, insuficient. La lluita no s’atura. La igualtat encara queda lluny per a les joves generacions.

La superioritat masculina i el #patriarcat

La superioritat moral (i res més que moral) entre sexes, ètnies, cultures o classes socials no fa més que evidenciar un afany de control que, lluny de ser natural, neix de construccions socials basades en el poder, sovint vinculat als diners o directament a la força física. Qualsevol raonament o comportament que neixi de la superioritat no podrà ser considerat just i, per tant, no hauria de ser considerat feminista. L’eternització de la lluita feminista ens evoca a múltiples conclusions. En posem una sobre la taula: per continuar avançant, els homes han de prendre partit.

La història ha estat escrita per l’home, el món ha estat liderat per l’home i inclús les religions són altament masculines. Podem parlar de progrés si encara comptem cada dona que per primera vegada accedeix a un lloc de poder? Si calen lleis per aconseguir paritat laboral? Si el cos de la dona, les decisions maternals o la forma de vestir es decideixen per homes arreu del món o si la violència masclista continua assassinant i violant a nenes, noies i dones al costat de casa nostra? Si tot això és el que constitueix el món actual en el qual vivim, canviar-ho ha de ser, sens dubte, una qüestió genèrica. No es pot redefinir el paper de la dona sense redefinir el de l’home. I tot recau en l’educació, que ha d’allunyar-se del patriarcat, el terme que defineix l’organització social dominada per homes.

#NotAllMen, però sí totes les dones

La meitat de la població encara viu sota l’estigma del sexe dèbil, sota el control del patriarcat i amb la certesa que, tot i no veure’s directament afectada una mateixa o les dones del meu entorn, mirant a banda i banda tothom té alguna història propera que evidencia tota la feina que queda per a fer. Al llarg de la història, el feminisme ha passat per diversos estadis que, seguint el context de cada moment, han implicat un tipus de lluita o altra, basada en ideals conservadors, liberals o reivindicatius. Són moltes les dones a les quals podríem posar cara i de les quals podem explicar la història. Algunes d’elles han fet grans avenços per a les dones, altres simplement van aplanar el camí amb idees, obres o obrint portes que fins aleshores restaven tancades.

El feminisme, entès com la recerca d’igualtat entre homes i dones, té tantes interpretacions, corrents o significats com persones en parlin. Interpretacions que varien segons l’educació rebuda, la tradició familiar o els comportaments que cadascú ha vist a casa seva. És comprensible, doncs, que apareguin pensaments com ara que les dones feministes són unes “exagerades”, que “no existeixen desigualtats avui en dia” o que la vida s’ha de viure “tal com s’ha fet tota la vida”, justificant que les tradicions, per més misògines que siguin, s’han de respectar abans que canviar-les per aconseguir paritat. Davant aquesta realitat, amb més èmfasi cal recalcar que el feminisme ha de partir del respecte, la base a partir de la qual s’aspirarà a la llibertat. Pot ser lliure qui viu amb la mirada posada en els altres?

De l’alliberament a la normalització sexual #lovewins

Són moltes les societats que han acceptat que l’orientació sexual no ha de ser motiu d’odi, i molt menys d’agressions o sentències legals. Es normalitza la llibertat sexual i es deixen enrere alguns estigmes vinculats a la sexualitat, especialment entre les generacions joves i en els països occidentals. Una desestigmatització que neix en la consciència sobre el propi cos, la llibertat de decisió, i el respecte cap a altres ideologies. També en la construcció de parelles proliferen corrents com el poliamor o les relacions obertes, que més enllà de l’anhel propi de qualsevol generació de joves per a descobrir-se, provar coses noves i viure experiències, també evidencia i atorga esperança davant un futur que es pronostica com a respectuós i de mentalitat oberta. Judicis morals, els mínims. Llibertat i respecte per sobre de tot.

Una vegada més, i lamentablement, no hi ha cap situació o context lliure d’agressions per part de persones que per sexe o orientació sexual se senten amb superioritat respecte a qui és diferent. L’orientació sexual encara és motiu d’agressions, i no s’aturen tampoc les relacions amoroses conservadores i amb rols de gènere marcats per la presència masculina. Tampoc s’aturen les relacions forçades, la violència física, mental i sexual cap a les dones, la sexualització del cos femení o el judici social i individual cap a les dones per gaudir d’una sexualitat plena i fonamentada amb la seva llibertat. Llibertat, però, que la societat s’esforça a remarcar que és limitada, sempre dins de cànons socials, estàndards i subjecte a múltiples crítiques als ulls del món. Potser per aquest motiu, perquè l’avenç mai és suficient ni generalitzat, la lluita feminista constantment comparteix espai amb la lluita d’altres minories o col·lectius en recerca de la llibertat que per naturalesa hauria de ser adjudicada.

La lluita serà compartida o no serà #MeToo

La realitat de moviments com el #MeToo corrobora que en el moment que una dona alça la veu per a fer una denúncia, n’apareixen milers al seu costat que han viscut el mateix i, sigui per desconeixement, per por, o pel sentiment de normalitat davant d’actituds que no haurien de ser-ho, han preferit callar durant anys. Això és perquè, quin tipus de normalitat pot ser viure en ple segle XXI, on prevalen uns minuts de satisfacció sexual d’un home davant la vida d’una dona? Són moltes les batalles guanyades, els avenços i els escenaris on s’està assolint la paritat. Són molts els homes que han estat educats i eduquen des d’aquest prisma del respecte, independentment del sexe o l’orientació sexual, i també cada vegada són més els joves que creixen sense l’estigma del patriarcat de base i les joves que identifiquen i denuncien qualsevol situació que va en contra de la seva llibertat.

De totes les coses positives que podríem llistar i sentir-nos orgulloses, principalment per respecte a totes les que han dedicat la seva vida a la causa i fins i tot l’han perdut, n’hi ha una que ressalta per damunt de totes: la lluita per la vida. En el moment que desaparegui la superioritat moral que sentencia vides a canvi d’ideals arreu del món, el feminisme podrà fer el pas definitiu per a començar a parlar de llibertat.

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Covid-19 has managed to bring sport to our homes. Since the quarantine, gyms and sports centres have had to adapt to an exceptional situation that has left them with no alternative but to reinvent themselves.

Physical activity has been the great ally of Catalans as a result of the pandemic. Some out of necessity and others by surprise but, to a greater or lesser extent, everyone has joined what, more than a fad, was a vital necessity at the time. The virtual gym has brought sport closer to thousands of people, as illustrated by a study by Asics, according to which 36% of respondents say they exercise more now than before the pandemic. The reason for these figures is also included in the study: for 80% of respondents, even from home, it is a considerable physical and mental improvement that helps them control their emotions and keep their minds busy. Online exercise is still an upward trend of which gyms have been able to take advantage.

Subscriptions to virtual gyms grow by up to 400%

The quarantine opened the doors of home to a whole series of applications and influencers which became popular through social media. Virtual gyms came to stay. The advantages are many: flexibility concerning exercise place and time, no commuting, cost reduction, or avoiding the feeling of insecurity, shame, or lack of initiative of going to the gym. This is how Sergio Recio, founder and director of Ictiva, one of the few virtual gyms created in Catalonia, describes it.

For them, the quarantine was a turning point in their growth, which by 2020 soared to 400% in number of subscribers. They sought to encourage sport as a direct mechanism to improve our mental health and, in order not to leave anyone behind, they lowered all prices by 50%. Eight years of experience, more than a thousand classes, and 21 disciplines guarantee that Ictiva’s virtual formula works, but the company is not equated with the many virtual training projects that have emerged as a result of the pandemic and that, far from being a virtual gym format, have been an adaptation of the face-to-face gym or another amusement during the pandemic. From his point of view, face-to-face gyms have a specific market, but it will not affect the increase in virtual gyms in the coming years: “just as teleworking has come to stay, online training is a habit that adds to our lives”.

Adapt or die: face-to-face gyms go digital

In Catalonia, virtual gyms are still a minority and, in fact, there is none exclusively Catalan. Here, the power still belongs to physical centres, and the trend, for virtually all, has been to reinvent themselves and adopt the online format to reach their users. 

In the case of regular users, the response was mostly positive, influenced by the bond that many already have with their coaches, and by the importance of sport in their lives. Toni Marin, directed activities trainer at Ekke Lleida, highlights this social aspect that goes beyond what is purely sportive: for them, connecting at that time “was a way to adapt to the needs of the customers and keep in touch with them; we did not want them to feel alone at a time that was very hard for everyone”. It was similar for users like Maria (30), for whom keeping the gym routine included keeping part of her social life, and precisely doing virtual workouts together is what helped her pass the quarantine alone at home but feeling accompanied.

For those who had not stepped on a gym, the start was progressive and backed by a lot of research work. The range of activities and coaches to choose from is very wide, and being able to create an exercise routine requires willpower. In this sense, Pilar (24), a gym user for four years, highlights the rise of fake coaches on social media, who make workout routines that are not always suitable from a fitness point of view. Or, at least, they are not for everyone. Exercising for free and without professional supervision is within the reach of everyone, but it can create a significant physical risk that needs to be known.

Does the virtual world reach all customers?

A year after the quarantine, we can draw the first conclusions of what the digitalisation of sport has meant, and the answer is unanimous: the virtual format has come to stay, but always as a complementary part, as a reinforcement of the face-to-face gym. Sport is fully lived when it is shared or, at least, so it is lived from within, as Susanna Segura, head of directed activities at Ca n’Arimon, in Mollet del Vallès, explains: “the fact of having a teacher to whom you can explain what is happening to you, who knows how to correct and encourage you, will never be replaced by the online format”. For them, who are part of a group that operates throughout Spain, the online format has reached fewer people than they normally have as users, “but it has helped us to keep them connected with us and thus ensure they do not break away from the world of sport”.

For older customers, or those who were unfamiliar with technology, this was a challenge, and Susanna acknowledges that the response from this group was mostly negative. Despite adapting to home exercise routines done with household materials and with the main goals of activating the body, it was not possible to reach everyone. Little by little, however, everyone who wanted to do physical exercise found their space.

For some, digitalisation has opened the doors to expansion, as explained by Mònica, teacher and coordinator of El Taller de Ioga in Premià de Mar: “we have pupils from other towns or other countries who like our way of understanding yoga, and this is the way they can practice it with us”.

In the case of the Ictiva virtual gym, emphasis has also been placed on reaching the public from the most personal side, by means of the creation of live classes and chats from where they begin to build a community where teachers go beyond the screen to offer a customised service to users..

“In the face of adversity, we look for a solution and we go for it”

The ability to reinvent oneself, for both gyms and users, has been maximised, and the results are largely positive. A mixture of feelings for having done something innovative, learned to use communication tools hitherto unexplored, known oneself better due to many months of lonely home training, suffering, and overcoming, and the reaffirmation that sport is health, whether as an escape valve, to socialise, or to grow as a person. Sergio Recio describes sport as a “natural antidepressant” that directly affects our lives and, whether in person or virtually, the sector has shown throughout this year that, as Toni Marin describes, “in the face of adversity, we adapt, we look for a solution, and we go for it”.

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Can students find an affordable flat that is suitable for their needs without paying a fortune or ending up sharing a room with half of Barcelona? 11Onze will try to give you some tips and tricks on the difficulties of becoming independent and entering adulthood.

The stress of university entrance exams is over, and after a well-deserved break, students enter a new stage: university begins, a phase of life in which they will learn about the sector in which they want to specialise and where existential doubts, far from fading, are often multiplied.

At this age and after so many years of effort, we often want to take advantage of this feeling of freedom and live new experiences, meet different friendships and, ultimately, fully enter adulthood, becoming independent of our parents: the search of the ideal flat begins. The latter, however, can be much more difficult than it seems.

The budget: a scarce commodity

To start with our research, the first thing we need to be clear about is the budget: we need to define what is the maximum amount of money we can afford to spend each month. This is of paramount importance, given that many students at these ages either do not have a regular income, or they have one but it is very meagre.

Unfortunately, however, the rent will not be the only aspect to consider. We must also keep in mind the distance between the flat and the university: the flat with the cheapest rent in Catalonia will be of no use to us if we have to waste four hours a day to go to class! Surely the key is to find a middle ground between being close enough to the university but not in the city centre, with enough transportation available, such as subway or train stations.

The more, the merrier?

Aside from distance, there is another factor that can increase or decrease our monthly spending: the number of roommates. Obviously, the more roommates we have, the less money per person we will pay, but we will have to take into account how many people in the same house we can afford, as too many people sharing a few square meters can become burdensome and decrease our quality of life. And in the same way, being on our own in a huge flat can make us feel alone.

Time is gold: start the search as soon as possible

Once we have decided the budget we can spend on rent, it’s time to start the search! Of course, we can take into account a few tips to make this search much more efficient.

First, the calendar must always be kept in mind: much of the demand for rental flats for university students is, of course, concentrated before the start of university. It is therefore very important to start the search before this period: this way you will have a lot more offer and you will be able to choose what is best for you. If, on the other hand, we start looking for a flat in October, we will most likely be left with flats that no one has wanted, either because of an excessive price or bad characteristics.

Agency or contacts: what is more efficient?

Acquaintances are a great way to start looking, instead of real estate agencies or websites. You’d be surprised how many people prefer to rent to acquaintances and decide not to post their ad on the internet. This way, aside from avoiding the entire search process, we might get a better room for the same price, thanks to the trust they have in us.

Related to this, universities often have a housing stock market where many homeowners publish their offers. Thus, many students can benefit if they find an offer that suits their needs, using the campus or university website.

If you do not find anything with any of these methods, it is time to use the most traditional search tools: real estate agencies or websites, many of which have their own app. Here we have many options, but some of the best known are:

• Habitatgejove
• Idealista
• Aluni
• Fotocasa

Once we have chosen a flat, we must sign the agreement and pay the stipulated deposit. Remember to read the contract carefully in order to check that there are no errata or abusive conditions. Also, check the state of the flat and verify that it is in the same condition as detailed in the contract (for example, if the agreement says the walls are well painted, check that it is so). It would not hurt to take some pictures of the general condition of the place on the first day.

It is therefore necessary to think it through and not throw caution to the wind at the first opportunity: we have all heard or been involved in true horror stories between roommates, or student flats that look like more a landfill than a home in proper condition. It is therefore in our hands to avoid ending up being the protagonists of one of these stories.

Good luck with the search!

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Enmig del debat sobre els canvis que cal fer a l’educació per revertir el baix nivell de l’alumnat català, el director de continguts i mitjans d’11Onze, Toni Mata, aporta una nova pregunta: per què no s’educa financerament als ciutadans del futur?

Dels mals resultats de l’alumnat català a l’informe PISA se n’ha parlat tant que sembla que l’única solució serà seguir-ne parlant. Parole, parole, parole, que parafrasejava en Xavier Massó de “Professors de Secundària” fa uns dies a Rac1. La veritat, però, és que, de cop i volta el país sembla preocupat perquè els joves no comprenen el que llegeixen. És que és estrany? És que algú li interessa que els nous ciutadans aprenguin res que, realment, els faci capaços de viure una vida plena i tan lliure i feliç com sigui possible? Si d’això es tractés, segurament, el currículum educatiu seria prou diferent i donaria un espai central, de ben segur, a l’educació financera.

A Catalunya els joves surten de secundària i del batxillerat sense saber llegir una nòmina. Sense comprendre com es calculen els impostos ni a què es dediquen. Sense tenir ni la més remota idea de com es calcula una prestació d’atur o una baixa. Sense comprendre com es creen els diners, què és la inflació o com es calculen els interessos d’un préstec. Com han de ser ciutadans lliures els nostres fills si no són capaços de comprendre com es gestiona un bé tan essencial per a les seves vides com és el diner? Algú dirà que al batxillerat humanístic i social s’imparteix una assignatura d’economia. I és cert. Entesos, quedem-nos tranquils que segur que aquests alumnes ho explicaran als de les altres modalitats.

I els adults?

Evidentment, no surten gaire ben parats. Segons els estudis de l’OCDE, només el 34% dels adults europeus tenen coneixements mínims en educació financera. És, molt probablement, aquest desconeixement generalitzat el que fa possible que donem tan poca importància a l’educació financera. És ben cert que els centres de secundària poden demanar participar en el programa d’educació financera a les escoles. Però ja hi som: quines escoles ho demanaran si és opcional? Quants tallers s’oferiran? I, sobretot, qui els farà? Perquè darrere del programa d’educació financera a les escoles que ofereix la Generalitat hi ha tota la gran banca espanyola i espanyola (abans catalana i espanyola). De debò confiarem l’educació financera dels nostres fills i filles a uns tallers impartits pels banquers? I fins a quin punt els banquers tindran interès en què els nostres fills i filles es qüestionin si l’actual és un model acceptable?

És francament desencoratjador veure com el Departament d’Educació no ofereix als nostres infants les eines mínimes per comprendre el món i moure-s’hi amb una certa autonomia. Però tot plegat té un gran sentit sistèmic perquè garanteix generacions de ciutadans dependents i, per tant, molt còmodes. Si no coneixes com funciona el món, és impossible canviar-lo.

Això sí, tothom tranquil! El Departament d’Educació va anunciar la creació d’una comissió d’experts on, de ben segur, hi haurà representants de prestigioses fundacions que al seu torn estan plenes de més experts i que estan ben regades d’ajudes. Així quan es reuneixin en aquesta comissió estaran ben contents i ningú alçarà la mà per dir que, si han de contractar experts, comissions i fundacions per fer la feina del Departament d’Educació, ben bé per a què serveix el Departament d’Educació? D’aquesta manera podríem tornar a l’educació financera i ens adonaríem que conèixer com es gestionen els diners públics també és un tema perillós perquè algú es podria fer aquesta mena de preguntes que no convenen a ningú.

Mirem de posar-hi remei

A 11Onze estem abocats a l’educació financera des del principi. Hi ha cursos disponibles a Aprendre, vam començar a desplegar el projecte d’11Onze Escola, vam posar en marxa la sèrie El Diner, i seguim formant i informant sobre economia i finances cada dia des d’11Onze Magazine. Mirem de fer l’economia comprensible perquè els ciutadans siguin capaços de prendre decisions fonamentades.

Però la veritat absoluta és que els ciutadans estem sols. I que passen els anys i la sensació de solitud s’incrementa. I que només hi ha un camí: ajuntar-se i esforçar-se. D’aquí la voluntat d’11Onze de crear una comunitat educada i formada financerament. Només l’educació ens farà lliures. I, és ben clar, aquest és el problema.

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Learning the value of money can be so much more than a game for children. Passing on the values of economy to them can bring them values such as responsibility, collaboration, saving, learning to negotiate, or even entrepreneurship.

Experts recommend starting to talk about private and family financial management from the age of seven, when children can become aware that the ATM does not give money because it is magical, but because adults, with their work, earn it and keep it in the bank.

It is within the family that the first values about money are learned. Today, most children in our society have grown up in a consumerist system that has made them used to having it all, and having it all now. In this sense, the first lesson to be learned is that access to money is limited to one’s own productive capacity. They need to be taught to see the value of living within their limitations, and to be aware from a very young age that knowing how to spend is as important as knowing how to save.

Children and teenagers, the great consumers

Montse Junyent, educated in business management and administration, advises passing on to children “the value of money, which is hard to earn and must be used ethically“. Show them, from an early age, that all the decisions we make have an economic impact, from buying and accumulating toys, to the practice of buying and throwing, food waste, or even the use of plastic bags. Children can understand that one of these bags can end up in the sea and take four hundred and fifty years to disintegrate. Make them aware that the Earth is finite, and we must take responsibility and take care of it through sustainable consumption actions. Adults and children must be consistent with this idea and act responsibly in all areas, in our relationship with people, with the environment, with the world, or with our way of consuming.

Junyent also defends the economy of the common good, with the aim of “contributing to the construction of a more sustainable and fair life system”. She is committed to “transmitting and publicizing sustainable alternative economic models and helping children to grow as committed people, with criteria, information, and a desire to change what they do not like.” That is, to give children all the tools that allow them to be independent and make their own decisions, based on values such as commitment, sustainability, honesty, innovation, and creativity.

Values that can be passed on in many ways, including through games or stories, and that begin in school. Sustainability, for example, is one of the issues of most concern today, and therefore much talked about within the education system. On the other hand, according to Junyent, children are not taught to talk about economics from an ethical and responsible point of view as much as they should.

The value of money through pay

Many parents have doubts about whether to give money to their children. They often wonder when they should start giving their children allowance, and what the ideal amount is.

Allowance can be an important way of teaching children how to manage and value money, a learning that will serve them well in the future. There is no set age to start using money, but it is essential that when they do, they understand its value and the importance of saving.

Some parents associate pay with doing household chores, a view that many questions, arguing that all members of the family should collaborate in this type of activity. Whatever the mentality, the point is that the model of education that the child receives must be coherent. Therefore, it is not a question of whether to pay or not, but to find the perfect formula for learning through values.

Suggesting to children what they should spend their allowance on

As the child gets older, the allowance can be increased, always depending on the use that is made of it. It is important to suggest to children what they should spend it on, taking into account their wishes and the need they have for the product in question. Beyond avoiding the purchase of products that may not benefit them, it is important to establish a fluid conversation, without imposing anything, where we make them see the consequences of each of their purchases. It will also be a good time to show them new forms of consumption, always opting for a sustainable consumption model, which can provide a real benefit and for as long as possible over time, and for them to understand, in short, that money is there to make their lives easier and that using it unconsciously can lead to negative situations.

We usually start this teaching at around five or six years of age, although it can also be beneficial to do so at preschool age. For example, you can show them how picking up their toys can have a reward, whether in the form of a treat or something else, the point is to learn that if our actions have a positive impact, we will be rewarded. And maybe at first it will be through material things, or when we start working it will be through money, but over the years this teaching will mean that the best reward is the one we make for ourselves, based on our own values.

Teaching to save and share

A good way to show the importance of saving can be to divide the money that the child receives, from an early age, into two parts. The first is in the form of a piggy bank that they can keep at home, where they can keep all the money that can be spent, which would be the daily economy. On the other hand, you can have a bank account where you can put money for future savings. In this way, he will create a relationship with money from both perspectives and understand its importance.

Another important learning will be about sharing. Money does not have to be an individual possession, it can also be shared. An idea that may seem controversial socially, as we relate to money from the point of view of possession and, therefore, it individualises it. Educating children in this issue will allow them to experience this relationship from another point of view, with a more collective vision and social responsibility. It is important to show, by example, that money can be a tool to help others, from making donations to the most disadvantaged to shopping in a specific shop where the profits are used for social projects. There are many ways to help, and it is worth instilling this habit in children and young people.

In conclusion, children need to be taught clear lessons about money, and the best way will always be through practice, copying the behaviours they see at home. Therefore, parents should be the example of this learning, teaching them not to buy on impulse, but to plan their goals, both in the short and long term. When the time is right, they can be encouraged to do small paid chores, and if approached from an educational point of view, giving them pay can become a decisive way of teaching children to manage and value money, a lesson that can mark their lives. Finally, and taking into account the weight that the new generations carry for the future, focus on teaching based on the construction of a more sustainable and fairer system of life for all.

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If he has everything, if it’s the right size, if she’ll like it… Giving Christmas presents can sometimes be a hassle. But we don’t have to buy for the sake of buying. We can give gifts in a conscious, responsible and caring way. Junior product manager Sara Casals gives us some tips.

With solidarity gifts you will always get it right and there is as much variety as there are non-governmental organisations, social entities and federations in the world. To start with, the gift can be a solidarity card with which we make a donation on behalf of a third party. But they can also be gifts, because these organisations usually have online shops where they promote their cause with merchandising. Here is a list of some of them:

• Arrels Fundació, a dignified work. This organisation, which supports homeless people, has been helping them for a long time through an occupational workshop, where they make a wide range of products. In their shop you will find a lot of objects made by people in vulnerable situations. This year, they have also opened a physical shop in the centre of Barcelona, La Troballa, where you can find all their products.
• Proactiva Open Arms, against the refugee crisis. The NGO that rescues people at the gates of Europe, in the Mediterranean Sea, has a shop where they sell all kinds of merchandising products, but where you can also find special gifts, such as tickets to solidarity concerts or gift cards to support their cause.
• Botiga solidària de Sant Joan de Déu, the double gift. In this solidarity shop you can give two gifts in one: you will make the person who will receive the gift happy, but you will also help all the people who need to be cared for. You can find everything from socks to wafers, bracelets, notebooks, boxes of chocolates and sweets, and even corporate gifts.
• Top Manta, the diversity shop. A good number of street vendors in Barcelona, fed up with police persecution and exhausted by the obstacles to regularising their administrative situation, founded Top Manta, an ecological, diverse, solidarity-based and designer brand. They have exclusive clothes made by renowned designers and illustrators and their latest model of bamba, the Ande Dem, has been a bestseller. 

Search the internet and find many more: the hospital clown association Pallapupas, the José Carreras Foundation against leukaemia, Amics de la Gent Gran, AFANOC against childhood cancer… The list is endless, but we encourage you to explore it all!

11Onze is becoming a phenomenon as the first Fintech community in Catalonia. Now, it releases the first version of El Canut, the super app of 11Onze, for Android and Apple. El Canut, the first universal account can be opened in Catalan territory.

Through 11Onze Segurs you can insure your vehicle with the Catalan mutual insurance company Mussap with a 5% discount. Founded in 1932 in Barcelona as a mutual for agricultural work, it had the support of Francesc Macià and has recently been recognised with the EthSI stamp of ethical quality.

One of 11Onze’s objectives is to offer its community products of the highest quality, which fit in with its values and are competitively priced. For this reason, a few months ago we launched 11Onze Segurs to offer an alternative to the people of La Plaça, also in terms of insurance. We have achieved it through a collaboration with the Catalan mutual insurance company Mussap, founded in 1932 in the presence of President Francesc Macià.

In conversation with the commercial director of Mussap, Marc Castell, we analysed the strong points of the insurance offered through 11Onze Segurs: maximum coverage at competitive prices. “The price indeed depends on the type of driver and vehicle”, says Castell, “but in some segments we are below the market average”.

Mussap’s values

The company stands out for its quality, transparency and its roots in the country. “We have our own offices in all the Catalan capitals and we are present throughout the country. We are very transparent about our identity and feel very involved in a society that not only saw our birth but has also empowered us to grow with its trust“, says Castell. In this sense, the vision is very close to that of 11Onze, which has as one of its objectives to stimulate the Catalan economy. This obviously involves consuming local goods and services.

In addition, Mussap’s quality has recently been endorsed with the awarding of the EthSI stamp of approval. This is a ratification of ethical and solidarity-based quality that assesses the degree of transparency and good practices carried out by insurance companies, insurance brokers and the products they market.

Digital and with discount

If you want to find out how much it would cost to insure your vehicle with 11Onze Segurs and Mussap, you can visit 11Onze Segurs where you will find a simulator. Just for being a member of 11Onze, you will get an additional 5% discount on the price of the annual premium. With 11Onze Segurs and Mussap all the procedures can be done swiftly. For example, you can make a claim online or call the helpline.

To learn more about Mussap’s product and vision, you can listen to the conversation on 11Onze Podcast. Marco Castell, commercial director of the mutual, wanted to make sure we understand the experience and identity of Mussap: “You will not find an entity that is more than 90 years old that continues to be itself, maintaining its essence, without having been absorbed or merged. We are a brand with a lot of personality, identity and independence”.

If you want to discover the best insurance for your vehicle, go to 11Onze Segurs, insurances with 11Onze values.

11Onze Recommends, at the request of the community, has managed to get the provider to further improve Litigation Funding: you can now access the product with family or friends to get higher returns on your savings. The returns are quadruple the average returns of Spanish banks.

Litigation Funding is one of 11Onze Recommend’s most requested products, a fact that gives us the strength to ask for improvements from our provider. In this regard, some users noted that the best yields are achieved for higher amounts, which is a barrier to entry for many people.

As 11Onze’s chief financial officer, Farhaan Mir, explains: “To access the 9% per annum you have to contribute 25,000 euros and many people don’t have these amounts, but they also deserve to be able to save. So we thought, what can we do? We can’t ask for the amount to be reduced, but we can ask for it to be contributed by several people, so that, several people in the same family, or a group of friends, can save together. Each one with their documentation, transferring their amount and receiving the corresponding earnings in their account. The only requirement is that the aggregate amount corresponds to the amounts set by the provider.

Quadrupling the returns offered by banks

This move by 11Onze Recommends gives its community access to a savings product unheard of in the country. In October 2023, Spanish banks increased the interest paid to their clients, but they remain the lowest-yielding banks in Europe, offering an average yield of 2.3%. Litigation Funding, therefore, almost quadruples what Spanish banks offer and does so with extra security, as the funds are insured to cover the principal.

Community-saving

11Onze is thus reinforcing its community vision by now offering community-saving. “You no longer have to save alone and miss out on the best offers because you don’t have enough money. This would be unfair. Everyone should be able to save”, says Farhaan Mir. The product offered by our UK provider has become one of the star savings products. To find out more about the product, you need to be a member of 11Onze and go to the Litigation Funding section on our website.

If you are already a member of La Plaça you can request more information from our provider.

It is not a perception, but a reality: globalisation has made the rich richer and the poor poorer. Since the mid-1990s, the richest 10% of the world’s population has accumulated more than three quarters of all wealth generated, while the poorest half got only 2%.

After three decades of trade and financial globalisation, inequalities in the world remain extremely pronounced. They are arguably as great today as at the height of Western imperialism. Moreover, the covid pandemic has further accentuated income differences.

Data from the “World Inequality Report 2022” show that since the mid-1990s, the richest 10 % of the world’s population has accumulated no less than 76 % of the wealth generated. In fact, 38% was concentrated in the hands of the top 1% of the world’s population. And the poorest half of the population has had to make do with the crumbs: barely 2% of the wealth generated during these last decades. And this gap has widened during the pandemic.

The big difference from the era of colonisation is that these inequalities are not so much a question of rich versus poor countries as of individual differences within states. In this respect, Europe is the region with the least pronounced differences, while the most unequal income distribution is found in North Africa and the Middle East. In addition, gender differences also remain considerable.

A global problem

A previous UN report, the World Social Report 2020, also indicated that income inequality has increased within most developed countries and in some middle-income countries, including China, which has the world’s fastest growing economy.

While the average income gap between countries is narrowing, there are still large differences between the richest and poorest regions: the median income in North America, for example, is 16 times higher than that of people in sub-Saharan Africa.

A brake on development

Growing inequality between individuals exacerbates the risks of division and hampers economic and social development. “Income disparities and lack of opportunities are creating a vicious cycle of inequality, frustration and discontent across generations,” says UN Secretary-General António Guterres in the foreword to the UN report, provoking mass protests in both developed and developing countries.

One of the consequences of inequality is a slowdown in economic growth. In unequal societies, with wide disparities in areas such as health care and education, people are more likely to remain trapped in poverty for generations.

The influence of innovation

We cannot overlook the fact that rapid advances in areas such as biology and genetics, as well as robotics and artificial intelligence, are transforming societies at a dizzying pace.

While technological innovation can accelerate economic growth, offering new possibilities in fields such as healthcare, education, communication and productivity, it is also eliminating entire categories of jobs and driving up wage inequality.

While high-skilled workers are reaping the benefits of the so-called “fourth industrial revolution”, low-skilled and medium-skilled workers, who are engaged in routine manual and cognitive tasks, are seeing their opportunities shrink.

The burden of climate change

With the climate crisis, vulnerable populations are bearing the brunt of environmental degradation and extreme weather events. Indeed, climate change is worsening the situation of the world’s poorest countries and could reverse the progress made in reducing inequality between nations.

If action to tackle the climate crisis proceeds as expected, jobs will be lost in polluting sectors such as the coal industry, but the new “green” economy could lead to net employment gains.

The tragedy of forced migration

As the UN points out, “migration is a powerful symbol of global inequality“. However, contrary to popular belief, more people from middle-income countries migrate abroad than those from low-income countries. This is probably due to the lack of material possibilities to do so in poorer places.

International migration is generally considered to benefit both migrants and their countries of origin, as they send money home, and host countries also benefit. In some cases, when migrants compete for low-skilled work, wages may be pushed down, increasing inequality. But if they offer skills that are in short supply or take jobs that others are unwilling to do, they have a positive effect on unemployment.

These migrations are leading to more people living in urban areas than in rural areas for the first time in history, a trend that is expected to continue in the coming years. And it should not be forgotten that, although cities drive economic growth, they are more unequal than rural areas.

The power of public policy

Reducing inequalities must be at the heart of public policy. This means taking action to ensure that new technologies are used to reduce poverty and create jobs; that vulnerable people are more resilient to the effects of climate change; that cities are more inclusive; and that migration is safe, orderly and regular.

For countries to become more equal, real equality of opportunity needs to be promoted, with measures such as universal access to education; fiscal policies that address social inclusion; and legislation that tackles prejudice and discrimination, while promoting greater participation of disadvantaged groups.

If you want your business to make a giant leap, use 11Onze Business. Our business and freelancer account is now available. Find out more!

And the next day, nothing was ever the same again. The Catalan state disappeared ‘ipso facto’ with the abolition of the Generalitat, the municipal dismemberment and the annulment of the Catalan constitutions following the loss of the War of Succession (1701 -1714). After this, the only administration that remained active in Catalonia was the army of occupation, which, by maintaining some 25,000 permanent soldiers within the Principality, consolidated the Bourbon objective by means of harsh repression that would last until the mid-18th century. But not everyone faired badly…

As a result of the victory, the elite of the Bourbon army was permanently installed in Catalonia: the Royal Castilian Guards and the Royal Walloon Guards, reinforced by other special military occupation contingents. The total number of troops deployed throughout Catalonia was 47% of the total for the rest of the Iberian Peninsula. And if we add those deployed in the rest of the territories of the Catalan Countries – Valencia, Majorca and Aragon – the figure rises to 65%. A full-blown invasion.

The drafting of the Nueva Planta Decree would turn Catalonia into just another province of a new centralised monarchy that would rule over the entire Iberian Peninsula without legal differences. Thus, the dream of a Hispanic monarchy based on the existence of different kingdoms and cultural realities on the peninsula would crumble, but it would not disappear. From then on, there would only be a single Cortes, those of Castile, which would represent the whole of the peninsular territories, but would focus on a new political construction structured around identifying Castile with the new state.

Eighteenth-century Catalonia would be a territory governed solely by the military. The supreme head of the administration of Catalonia would be the Captain General. Territorial administration – the ‘corregimientos’ – would be in the hands of the ‘corregidores’, who would always be military men. Public order – in the first instance – would always be in the hands of the army and the famous “Veciana Squads”. This institution was founded in 1719 by Pere Anton Veciana Rabassa, a deserter from the Austracist cause who in early 1713 decided to place himself at the service of the Bourbon king and create a paramilitary and police organisation that would work at the service of the Captain General -Francisco Pío de Saboya y Moura-, with the mission of continuing to repress internal Bourbon resistance.

Veciana would set up a system of criminal files – known as ‘summary files’ – which would enable the corps to systematise police information. He also created a network of informers throughout the territory and organised the first agents to infiltrate the resistance. In 1735, Veciana had to resign his post for reasons of age, and it was then that the Captain General transferred the responsibilities of the corps to his son, Pere Màrtir Veciana. From then on, the command of the corps would be inherited by the Veciana family for five generations, until 1836.

Repression and state terrorism

For eleven years, Catalonia was subjected to harsh military repression, which lasted until 1725, when, through the Treaty of Vienna between the representatives of Philip V of Castile and Charles VI of Austria, the two sides mutually recognised each other’s succession rights and put an end to the dynastic dispute.

And what happened to the supporters who fought in favour of the Archduke of Austria’s choice? During the war, as the Bourbon armies occupied the Principality, a kind of ‘military terrorism’ was applied, which consisted of persecuting the local population, regardless of the degree of connection they had had with the Austracist cause, with the aim of undermining morale. After the fall of Barcelona, the main military commanders who had not been able to flee to Austria – such as Antoni de Villarroel – were indiscriminately persecuted and sent to prisons scattered around the Iberian Peninsula. Most of them ended up dying without ever regaining their freedom, while others were sent to the galleys.

The long post-war period allowed the repression to continue against all the armed elements that were still fighting against the new legal system, such as the notorious ‘carrasclets’. But all those families whose members were in exile in Austria were also persecuted and forbidden from maintaining any correspondence. The losers of the war were to have their property seized and all their rights revoked. They would even be banned from taking part in all public tenders or applying for state aid.

The establishment of permanent contingents in Catalonia would lead to a significant increase in military demand due to the need to supply royal troops. According to the General Manuals of the Quartermaster’s Office of Catalonia – an institution created to manage the post-war period – between 1714 and 1735 a total of 271 ‘asientos’ or contracts directly related to the supply of materials to the army and navy are recorded: gunpowder, weapons, artillery trains, uniforms, food, ironwork for horses.

The ‘asientos’ were also used for the construction or supply of barracks, such as the Ciutadella, and to produce everything necessary for subsequent Bourbon military campaigns, such as those in Italy. And this supply would come about thanks to the existence of a considerable productive, commercial and financial structure that had remained unchanged despite the war, and which would be capable of solvently producing the ‘seats’ that the monarchy would need over the following decades.

Catalan collaborationism

So, the question to ask ourselves is clear: how was it possible to maintain a Catalan productive structure in the context of the war at the beginning of the 18th century? How was it possible to supply the Bourbon army during the invasion of Catalonia and the siege of Barcelona in a territory that was completely unknown to them? Well, with the help of local characters who supplied, lent or helped the Bourbon army of occupation with food, money and logistics throughout that turbulent period. They were a group of merchants who changed sides – just like Pere Anton de Veciana – in search of a more favourable personal situation and taking advantage of the circumstances to improve their social and economic position.

Names such as the Milans of Arenys, the Mates and Lapeira of Mataró or the Massiques of Vilassar and many others would be great family names that would establish their prestige throughout the 18th century for having obtained important privileges as thanks for the services rendered during the occupation of the Principality. Many of these “illustrious” figures would be placed in key institutions for the deployment and execution of the Nueva Planta Decree, because otherwise it would not have been possible.

The new regime would pass “a disinfectant cotton wool over Catalonia”, in order to subsequently build a new network of local loyalties that would consolidate it within the territory. This reason why they were placed at the head of key institutions, such as the General Treasury (Catalonia’s taxation), the General Intendancy (Catalonia’s supply and logistics), the Confiscations of Catalonia (seizure of property) and the Bureau de Change (communal bank), a minority but large sector of the Principality’s population who, for various reasons, sided with the Bourbon proposal. In this way, the monarchy combined the principle of authority, as represented by the laws deployed in the Nueva Planta Decree, with a large institutional bureaucracy and flexibility with certain local social sectors, mainly the master craftsmen and merchants, who had sufficient economic resources to boost the economy.

The self-interested attachment of these sectors of Catalan society to the new Bourbon State gave them access to new sources of income derived directly from the new policies of Bourbon absolutism. Loyalty would give them access to large public contracts, which would lead to widespread corruption at all levels of public administration.

Until the end of the 1740s, Catalonia underwent a painful period of adaptation to its new status as a defeated nation, always suspected of disaffection. From then on, economic policy decisions were no longer taken in Barcelona, but at the Bourbon Court, following criteria based on the dreams of grandeur of the new reigning monarchy, regardless of the needs of its subjects.

BASIC BIBLIOGRAPHY

Benet Oliva i Ricós: ‘Els proveïdors catalans de l’exèrcit borbònic durant el setge de Barcelona de 1713/1714’, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, 2014.

David Ferré Gispets: Els efectes del “Contractor State” borbònic a la Catalunya d’inicis del segle XVIII, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, 2019.

Josep Maria Delgado Ribas: ‘Barcelona i el model econòmic de l’absolutisme borbònic: un tret per la culata’, Barcelona Quaderns d’Història, 23 (2016), pàg. 225-242.

Josep Juan Vidal: ‘Les conseqüències de la guerra de Successió: nous imposts a la Corona d’Aragó, una penalització o un futur impuls per al creixement econòmic?’, Universitat de les Illes Balears, Palma de Mallorca, 2013.

Find out about the families that were enriched by the defeat of 1714 on 11Onze TV.