Understanding feminist self-care as a process of deconstructing patriarchal education, which considers women as caregivers "by nature" and as a responsible exercise of limits; demanding that administrations act effectively when providing the multiple services demanded by welfare societies; recognizing the concept of self-care as a human right and as an act of love towards oneself, free from guilt and remorse; that it is not confused with time for the hairdresser and nests in one's own room and also in community networks.
These are some of the conclusions reached during the conference of the social and cultural association for women 'Mararía', held on October 9 and 10 at the Lancelot Playa hotel in Arrecife, with the presence of nearly a hundred attendees in person and online.
The opening ceremony was attended by the Minister of Social Welfare of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Marci Acuña, and the Councilor for Equality of the City Council of San Bartolomé, Mónica de León, who congratulated the association for its "trajectory, achievements and willingness to social progress for women." In addition, Ana Isabel Brito, director of the Canary Institute of Equality, an organization sponsoring the activity, joined the second day, who made herself available to the Lanzarote entity to strengthen ties and reinforce lines of work that she described as "shared."
Repudiation against violence
The event opened with a minute of silence as a gesture of repudiation and in memory of the ten women who died in September due to gender violence.
Already in the first of the morning's presentations, the president of Mararía, Nieves Rosa Hernández, rejected "the oppression that comes from the logic of power and that demands an impossible dedication to care" and opted for "choosing a different path, with the centrality in personal and collective self-care." For her part, the president of the 'Compi' coordinator, Patricia Ponte, also stressed the need for feminism to demand policies for the care of migrant women that challenge all autonomous communities in a subsidiary manner, and not only those receiving human flows.
Next, the national deputy and secretary of the Federation of Abolitionist Women, Ada Santana, spoke, who focused her speech on young women, victims of the pressure of a triple professional and work demand, of care, personal and aesthetic, linked to the universe of social networks. She proposed the establishment of networks that strengthen sectoral feminist movements to obtain a real political impact and advocated for an effort aimed at placing women in decision-making positions.
The first morning of work concluded with the presentation by the sociologist and technical coordinator of Programs of the Federation of Young Women of Spain, who presented the conclusions of the report 'Apps without sexual violence', a chilling tour of the aggressive and macho behaviors (virtual and physical) of users and the hypersexualization, infantilization and objectification of women, even voluntarily.
Round table
The afternoon was devoted to a round table on self-care, health and shared responsibilities, with the participation of Macarena Barreto, María Pilar Miranda, Elizabeth Artiles and Marta Cardaba, moderated by Myriam Ybot. The talk revolved around the benefits of specific public health services for women, not sufficiently disseminated; the importance of non-formal networks for assisting caregivers; and especially, the need to listen to one's own signals, set limits to personal self-demand and practice "no" as a survival strategy.
The second day of the meeting was opened by the founder of the Mental Health Nursing Association 1982 and trainer in Gender Violence, Henar Sastre, with the presentation "Gender perspective in health: Women's discomforts/Well-being", who assured that what predisposes women to depression is their own role and the mandates of femininity. "When we question traditional mandates, we live in conflict; according to the WHO, women's depressive states are the expression of the discomfort of women of this century," she said.
The vice president of 'Compi', Marta Cardaba, addressed the "impact" of gender violence on women, considered as a "problem" of public health, the "importance" of training health personnel and the resources available for comprehensive care for victims.
The series of conferences ended with the talk 'Strategies, alternatives and networks to protect ourselves', by Patricia Ponce, who pointed to the importance of applying self-care and limits in the organizations themselves, learning to delegate functions and having the ability to "disconnect" from work.
The meeting closed with a recreational activity for the attendees, called 'Juntanza' and consisting of a collective dance with braided ribbons that represent sisterhood and the collective effort of women.
The convening association will prepare a document of conclusions from the conference that will serve as a roadmap to define the entity's line in relation to the promotion of self-care and attention to women's health from a feminist approach. All the presentations and panel discussions have been recorded and are accessible through the Mararía youtube channel.
