Women’s Day 2025: The Light of Employment
International Women’s Day 2025: 8 March 2025
The Light of Employment: Lighting the Way for Millions of Women
This International Women’s Day, Fundación Adecco shines a spotlight on women in Spain at risk of social exclusion, lighting their way toward a brighter future. The Light of Employment introduces the real-life story of Dulce (a fictitious name), one of our candidates. Dulce fled violence in her home country in Latin America and arrived in Spain without legal papers, leaving her unable to work and vulnerable. Today, thanks to secure and legal employment, Dulce has been able to light her path once again.
Labour Inclusion on International Women’s Day 2025
Life can often feel like a social lottery, and statistics show that women are more likely to draw an unfavourable number. Dulce’s story reflects the harsh reality faced by many women. She is a survivor of gender-based violence, which forced her to leave her country and confront numerous barriers to employment in Spain. Her experience mirrors the challenges faced by many women supported by Fundación Adecco. Our work extends to single mothers, women with disabilities, those at risk of social exclusion, and older women navigating age discrimination. Beyond their gender, these women share a common experience of inequality and workplace discrimination.
Employment of Migrant Women in Spain
According to our Vulnerability Observatory, the number of migrant women of working age in Spain has grown by 48% over the past decade. If these women decided to stop working, it would leave a gap of 1.4 million jobs in the economy Even if every unemployed Spanish-born woman filled these roles, nearly 98,000 positions would remain vacant.
Ensuring that women like Dulce are fully integrated into the workforce is not only a matter of social justice but also a pressing economic necessity to strengthen the country’s productive fabric.
Companies Committed to Diversity and Inclusion on the International Women's Day 2025
More Real Stories
Asunta, Disleidy, Eyllen and Sonia are just some of the beneficiaries of Fundación Adecco’s #EmpleoParaTodas (JobsForEveryone) project, which focuses on empowering women at risk of exclusion. Like Dulce, they too faced struggles in finding the light to guide their way forward.
Whether it’s single parenthood, long-term unemployment after the age of 45, migration, or lack of opportunities, these women embody the vulnerabilities that characterise employment inequality in Spain.
Through personalised support, training, employment guidance, labour intermediation, and follow-up, the #EmpleoParaTodas programme has helped thousands of women light their way.
Asunta, senior talent: “I realised that age was my main obstacle”
Asunta is a seasoned professional who lost confidence in her skills. After becoming a mother, she chose self-employment to balance her career with raising her child. Then she got divorced.
Disleidy, migrant and single mother: “I don't have any family in this country and it’s hard”
Disleidy is a young mother of two daughters. Back in the Dominican Republic, she studied psychology to pursue a career in social work. After moving to Spain, her situation changed drastically, leaving her without family support.
Eyllen, migrant and single parent: “My difficulty is not having my qualifications recognised”
In 2019, Eyllen packed her life into a suitcase and moved to Spain. She has struggled to have her higher education credentials officially recognised, preventing her from accessing jobs that match her skills and experience.
Sonia, migrant woman: "I left school because there was a murder every week"
She has struggled all her life to obtain an education that would allow her to become a great professional. This dream brought her to Spain, in search of a better life away from the structural violence that her country experiences.
Employment on International Women’s Day 2025
We at Fundación Adecco strive every day with the awareness that employment plays a major role in overcoming situations of vulnerability. In 2024, we facilitated 502 jobs for 358 women, including survivors of gender-based violence and single mothers with unshared family responsibilities.
This is only a drop in the ocean when we consider, according to our Jobs for All Women: Women at Risk of Social Exclusion in the Job Market report, that:
Women make up 51.3% of the migrant workforce in Spain, with 3.8 million women of working age. This reflects a slight majority among the working-age foreign population. However, their unemployment rate of 17.8% is significantly higher than that of Spanish women (11.8%) and rises further for women from non-EU countries (19.8%).