Madrid is full of women who are beautiful, intelligent, financially independent, over 30 and…single. It seems particularly hard for these single ladies to find their partner for life. With a ratio of 1.07 men to women and a deeply entrenched Catholic culture that promotes traditional family values, what’s behind this trend, if it’s not the numbers? Society and culture tell us we should all dream of finding a soul mate to spend our lives with and create a family, but the rules of the game have changed. Women no longer have to put up with things they don’t want. They don’t have to depend financially on a man. Their place in society does not depend any more on being someone’s wife. Yet many … [Read more...] about Sex and the Spanish single lady
About Sonia Alegre
What I learned in a Spanish brothel
“My mother brought me my first client when I was 14. Since then, I’ve had an average of three to five men per night. I’m 25 now. I think I am probably the biggest whore in this club”, says Diana (her “professional” name), one of the 120 prostitutes who work at Vive, one of the best-known brothels in Madrid. Vive is located in the Bravo Murillo district, next to Estrecho metro station. Every night it opens its doors to clients who, as Manuel, a regular for the past three years, puts it, are “just looking for some drinks and some fun if the night really warms up.” He adds: “I don’t sleep with the girls every night I come, only when I really feel like it. Most of the time, I just come for … [Read more...] about What I learned in a Spanish brothel
Islamic feminism: the only road to modernising a faith?
With its own complex relationship with the Muslim world over the centuries, it was perhaps fitting that Spain should host the Fourth International Congress on Islamic Feminism, in Madrid, October 21-24. Spain’s Catholic monarchs forcibly converted Muslims to Christianity in the 16th century before then expelling many of those converts. This followed the Islamic occupation of Spain, when the religion fomented major cultural and scientific developments, especially in its major centres such as Córdoba. This year’s Madrid conference, however, looked ahead, analysing the future prospects of Islamic feminism, as well as its current state. More than 400 participants from across the world … [Read more...] about Islamic feminism: the only road to modernising a faith?
Acquaintance rape: the trauma and shame of a hidden crime
“When I realised what he was going to do, I froze and the panic immobilized my body. I realised I couldn’t fight back. I am 48 kilos; he was 1.90 meters tall and very strong. I tried to scream but my voice wouldn’t come out, who could come rescue me? I suddenly saw myself floating above the room out of my body.” These are the words of Silvia (which is not her real name), who was raped by a man she had been dating for two months when she told him she wanted to break up. Besides the trauma of the experience itself, she then found herself in a quandary when it came to reporting the crime. “I thought about going to the police but would they believe me? He raped my in my own house, used a … [Read more...] about Acquaintance rape: the trauma and shame of a hidden crime