Notwithstanding the long history of struggling for the defense of human rights and bolstering democratic societies, it is striking the validity and the pressing need of sustaining a collective effort to guarantee this progress within a globalization context, that has increased the need to appeal to the fundamental rights in our troubled societies. The vertigo caused by the speed of scientific, biotechnological and digital breakthroughs coexists with persistent and increasing social inequalities and environmental challenges. Not without reason does equality lie at the core of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by United Nations, shaping it.
The importance of safeguarding the fundamental rights is increasingly stressed within current societies, bound to face the challenges inherent in a fast pace development; societies which are shaken by serious human injustices featuring geographical and domestic imbalances.
In spite of the progress made so far, discrimination against women is still hindering everyday’s life at the dawn of the third millennium and still shaping a model of society based on an unbalanced division of tasks and responsibilities. The compelling need of rethinking the current values and parametres determined by a long-standing androcentrism sets the grounds to the reflexion which is due to prompt priorities which have been put aside up to now, with the ultimate goal of digging deeper into new issues and channels that can contribute to the improvement of the legal-political framework of reference.
The journal IgualdadES is born out of this concern for the validity of fundamental rights and, in particular, for real and effective equality in all its manifestations, and is based on the initiative and impulse of the Director of Centro de Estudios Políticos y Constitucionales [CEPC, Center for Political and Constitutional Studies], Dr. Yolanda Gómez Sanchez. This journal is thus brought about in the context of an exceptional forum, marked by the prestige of its publications, with the ultimate aim of providing a space and promoting studies on equality, with special attention to women’s equality, as a fundamental element of justice and social progress.
This journal is conceived as a forum for debate and academic discussion about every aspect and dimension of a core value, principle and constitutional right which has featured and still should contribute decisively to the achievement of a fairer and more sustainable society, which should be pervaded by a new agenda of political, economic and social priorities on a cross-cutting basis.
IgualdadES is hence launched as an interdisciplinary scientific journal whose aim is the dissemination of the academic work on the various areas related to equality and non-discrimination. The journal is composed of two types of contributions: “Studies”, to analyze issues related to equality and non-discrimination of women, children, persons with disabilities, sex-oriented or economic or social inequalities, among others, from a judicial, political, social, economic, historic and linguistic perspective; and “Debate”, to know different academic aproaches to some specific issues, related to equality and non-discrimination.
IgualdadES is a digital publication, in Spanish and English, subject to the publishing rules of CEPC, with an open access policy aiming at the widespread dissemination of the work to be published. It is published on a six-monthly basis. Access to the contents of the journal is not subject to restrictions and those who write in it can collaborate with the aim of giving maximum spread to their work through active participation in social networks, contact lists or personal and institutional electronic pages.
I warmly thank the Director of CEPC for the confidence shown on me, Emilio Pajares Montolío for accompanying me in this project, and all who ventured on embarking on this journey, especially by their taking part on the Editorial Board and in the Scientific Council, their generosity and enthusiasm for this inspiring project, which will by no means be possible but for their contribution. This first issue is the outcome of their work and devotion.