Book excerpt: The first period is from the end of the war up to the 1950s, and the second is from the 1960s up until the death of General Franco in 1975. [...] A gender policies impasse: Conservative governments 1996-2004 The victory of the Right in the 1996 election led to a mobilisation of feminist groups in response to the possible repeal of rights won through the PSOE's equality policies, since certain initiatives such as the ongoing status of the Women's Institute and the future drafting of Equality Plans had been questioned. [...] The Ministry of Equality At the commencement of the 9th Legislature (2008) a Ministry of Equality was established for the first time in Spain, responsible for proposing and implementing government policy in the field of equality, young people and the elimination of all forms of discrimination on the basis of gender, racial or ethnic origin, religion or ideology, sexual orientation, age or any othe. [...] Although the percentage of women in both chambers increased following the results of the 2008 election compared with results of the previous parliamentary elections, in Congress the percentage of female members was 3.7 percentage points below the minimum established in the aforementioned Act. [...] The backdrop to the fact that many women leave or withdraw from the world of work is provided by the lack of policies to achieve a family/work balance, of affordable care for children and the elderly, and of joint responsibility in the home.