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feminist protest: feminist claim that he and the Xunta are a part of the very cycle of patriarchy
that generates gender violence.
Although the SGI has been a target for feminist complaints, the agency has set in motion
many initiatives, including four Plans for Equal Opportunities.
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Between 1991 and 1993, the
SGI studied the situation of women, held conferences, and helped women in situations of need.
Later in the decade, the actions of the SGI became more numerous. The SGI’s second equality
plan projected policies such as eliminating sexism from education, improving the health of
Galician women, and training women in entrepreneurship. In terms of job training, the SGI has
funded or co-organized courses in, for example, the tourism industry, restaurant cooking, floral
arrangement, internet technology, and the English language. One of the more innovative
activities of the SGI in the recent past has been its mobile internet classroom. The SGI
representatives travel to rural areas in order to teach older women how to use the internet. Many
job training events have been held in conjunction with women’s associations in small localities.
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The rural women’s associations are often the associations that have taken advantage of
the women’s agency’s training programs and they are the ones that are participating hand-in-
hand with the SGI. For example, the rural women’s network of Galicia has worked with the SGI
to create environmental programs. The SGI often mentions activities and conferences of rural
women’s groups in the magazine of the family ministry. This is important to note due to the
virtual absence of feminists or feminism in its publications.
The rise of rural women’s groups has been a fundamental aspect of policymaking for
women in Galicia. The SGI promotes rural women’s associations as a way to help women that
live in very small rural places – even places that do not have a local women’s center. The
administration encourages the development of associations and ties rural associationalism into
the RIAM network (The Network of Information and Advice for Women - Rede de InformaciĂłn
e Asesoramento á Muller). The RIAM network unites services and centers for women that are
48
The Galician Plans for Equal Opportunities: I Plan (1992-1994), II Plan (1995-1997), III Plan (1998-2001), IV
Plan (2002-2005).
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More publications have been produced by the SGI in recent years. For example, the SGI has published education
materials through its Seminario de Educacion en Igualdade and it has published new guidebooks about services for
women in Galicia. Another worthwhile effort by the SGI has been its cooperation in establishing a master’s degree
program at the University of Santiago de Compostela for “agents of equality”. The SGI is now doing a great deal of
work through cooperation with other institutions at the regional level, at the national level, and in the international
realm. The SGI works with other institutions in a way that reflects mainstreaming. One example of such
collaboration is a project through the fishing ministry that examines women’s roles in the fishing industry. What is
more, the SGI’s activity level has been noted by the national women’s agency. Galicia has been cited in national
publications as a community dedicated to the fight against gender violence. Galicia has also been a place for the
national Women’s Institute to try out their educational initiative called Relaciona.
Convention