The gender focus in the citizen-participatory design of the municipality of Bilbao

Abstract

Study of the participatory institutional design of the municipality of Bilbao has made it possible to identify some components of the participatory opportunity structure that condition the forms of participation currently in force, and that lead to certain processes of exclusion in women’s access to participatory citizen practices. Attention is focused on the analysis of participatory mechanisms that have an associational basis. This has made it possible to reveal the need for local governments, through broad agreements, to integrate the gender focus in an inter-sectorial way, not only in the participatory municipal institutions themselves, but also in all the practices and actors that, on the administration’s invitation, take part in democratic governance, including the actors of civil society that make up the civic infrastructure of the community.