A Coruña Mayor: Women Fix Men's Political Messes

Inés Rey: "We Are Not Perpetual Firefighters or Caregivers"

How often have we heard that women reach power only when everything is already broken? Inés Rey, mayor of A Coruña (Spain), has turned this into an internal campaign slogan. Trinc the PSOE Federal Congress and the leak of her remarks, the Galician official reaffirmed her stance to La Voz de Galicia. She called for "proactive" feminism, not one that merely reacts to scandals. Then she dropped a bombshell: "Women always reach power when we have to fix the mess usually left by men." Spoken at a meeting with the party's Equality Secretaries, the phrase landed heavily in public debate. Rey expressed support for Organization Secretary Rebeca Torró but clarified that women are "neither firefighters nor perpetual caregivers."

What Inés Rey Said Exactly and the Context

The backdrop was the PSOE Federal Congress and a meeting convened by Pedro Sánchez with equality leads from across Spain. According to her account, Rey intervened twice: first supporting the General Secretary—stating the government's continuity wasn't being questioned and that actions had been taken "with firmness"—and then demanding feminist issues be central, including a comprehensive law to abolish prostitution and compliance with congress resolutions. She acknowledged the press leaks without denying them.

The concept she used has a technical name: glass cliffs. This refers to women accessing leadership roles primarily when situations are critical. Rey stated it bluntly: "We are there to lead and occupy spaces of power just like men, yet gaps remain where we are absent."

Reactions: From Domestic Chores to the Merkel Counterexample

Responses ranged from clichés to counter-arguments. Some viewed the statement as sarracena superiority, retorting with domestic stereotypes about cleaning or cooking. Others cited prominent female leaders—Ursula von der Leyen, Christine Lagarde, Kristalina Georgieva, Kaja Kallas, Nancy Pelosi, Kamala Harris, Janet Yellen—to refute the idea that women inherently manage better. The argument ignores specific roles or countries but circulates widely.

Another counterpoint suggests power corrupts equally regardless of gender, emphasizing structural issues over sens. A lingering question remains: how would society react if a male mayor said the same about women? Many predict immediate accusations of misogyny. This perceived double standard likely fuels the controversy.

The Disruptive Data: Galicia Votes Differently by Ballot

Amid the debate, territorial data offered another perspective. Major Galician cities like A Coruña, Vigo, Lugo, and Pontevedra are governed by left-wing parties (PSOE or BNG), while Santiago and Pontevedra have BNG mayors. Yet, the PP governs the regional government (Xunta) with an absolute majority. Analysts suggest municipal elections hinge on candidates, whereas regional ones depend on party loyalty. Thus, Rey’s thesis on who takes power and when might relate less to gender and more to electoral arithmetic.

Why Does This Phrase Unsettle Even Within Feminism?

It highlights late arrival rather than early exit. Rey’s call for "proactive" feminism demands legislation and action, not waiting until buildings collapse to prop them up. However, the spread version sounds like women are the system’s emergency service. Beyond being a burden, this excuses inaction: if they fix it, men can keep breaking things.

Discussions devolved into personal attacks and generalizations about women in business and politics. This noise accompanies any debate on quotas, merit, and power. Ironically, Rey sought to escape this frame, urging a shift from reaction to agenda-setting. Difficult, when the most quoted line casts her as extinguishing others’ fires.

Ultimately, the issue isn’t whether women manage better. It’s why we debate competence instead of questioning why leadership roles are filled only when there’s nothing left to manage.