Progress in Spain, a false promise?
I am reposting this article, which was originally published in Spanish. Although it is specific to the Spanish context, the core issues are relevant throughout the Western world and hopefully to this audience.
Since Franco's death, Spain has been in a race to catch up with the most advanced countries in central and northern Europe, such as Germany, Sweden and Denmark. And while the Spain of 2024 is not Denmark, the changes that those of us who have lived through the period since Spain's transition to democracy have seen are enormous and even impressive.
Many of these changes are what is commonly understood as progress, both economic and social.
Since joining the European Union, Spain has experienced strong economic growth, modernised public enterprises and privatised a large part of them, built an extensive and modern motorway network and a world-leading high-speed train network, and experienced a spectacular increase in air traffic, largely due to the increase in tourism to and from Spain.
In the social sphere, Spain has made rapid progress in liberalising sexuality, equalising women's educational attainment and labour market participation, introducing gay marriage and advancing transgender rights, decriminalising abortion and passing laws against gender-based violence.
Despite these great changes and achievements, the same discourse of the last 40 years continues: let's go for more progress, we're not there yet! This leads us to goals that are increasingly difficult to achieve or, in many cases, downright absurd, although the public discourse never questions the validity of these goals. Is progress an endless journey with no destination? Is progress good by definition?